The subject of the research is the multifaceted activities of the Artillery Committee as the central scientific, technical, and expert body of the Ministry of War of the Russian Empire. The work comprehensively examines the process of institutionalizing the committee as a specialized division of the Main Artillery Directorate, its transformation from a temporary advisory body into a permanently functioning scientific and technical institution. Special emphasis is placed on analyzing the regulatory framework governing the committee's activities, which determined its competence and place in the military management system. The object of the research is the key aspects of the functioning of the Artillery Committee: its organizational structure and personnel composition; decision-making system and mechanisms of interaction with command instances; main areas of scientific and technical activities. The author thoroughly analyzes the expert functions of the committee, including the consideration of new artillery systems projects, testing of weapon samples, development of regulatory documents and methodological materials. Such a comprehensive approach allows for revealing the committee's role as a crucial link between theoretical developments, industrial production, and practical application of artillery systems in the troops. The study employs historical-systemic and institutional methods, conducts a critical analysis of legislative acts from the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, archival materials from the RGVIA, and historiographical sources, while the scientific novelty of the work lies in the comprehensive examination of the committee's activities at the intersection of military history and the history of science. The article presents a comprehensive study of the activities of the Artillery Committee as the central scientific and technical body of the Ministry of War of the Russian Empire, revealing new aspects of its institutionalization and practical work. Based on the analysis of previously unpublished legislative acts and archival materials, the author traces the process of the committee's transformation from a temporary advisory body into a permanently operating scientific institution with clearly defined functions and structure. The scientific novelty of the work lies in revisiting traditional notions of the committee's degree of independence – the research shows that most of its decisions were subject to modification by command structures. The practical significance of the research manifests itself in identifying new promising directions for studying the transfer of military technologies. The results obtained significantly expand understanding of the mechanisms of modernization of the Russian army in the 19th century and contribute substantially to the study of the history of science and technology in Russia.
Sergei Sergeevich Prokhin (Fri,) studied this question.