A line-up of flightless supersonic strategic bombers, sandwiched between the M-50 and the Tu-160.
The M-50 ‘Bounder’ (right) and its subsonic brother, the 3M ‘Bison-B’ at the Zhukovsky test centre.
The M-50 in the Monino museum as ‘Blue 12’.
We can speculate why the M-50 prototype was numbered ‘023’ - 2+3=5 and read backwards gives us 50.
The M-50, then with its side number ‘023’, rolled-out from GAZ-23 in Moscow-Fili. Note the opened hatches of the pilots’ cockpits under the nose.
Early model of the M-52 with Zubets RD16-17 turbojets. Outer engines are fitted to the wingtips. Note also a small stabiliser at tailfin tip.
Myasishchev M-61 winged stand-off missile between the undercarriage bays of the M-52.
Many variations of the M-50 project were considered before metal aircraft came into being. Here are two with a swept wing and different arrangement of engines. Note also the very large fuel tanks under the wings.
Steps to the Tu-160 a flightless M-50 project
Myasishchev M-50 ‘Bounder’.
Окончательный вариант М-56
Final layout of M-56 with six engines in common block under the wing centre section very much resembles the XB-70 Valkyrie.
The M-57 of 1960 is the last Myasishchev project before the design bureau dissolved. It is a large all-wing, twin-tailfin aircraft. The only evidence of its existence is this 5ft (1.5m) long model which survived in one of the design bureau rooms.
Tupolev Tu-135 with a single Kh-22 missile under the fuselage.
Four-engined M-53 supersonic passenger derivative of the M-56.
Design of the Myasishchev M-70 intercontinental bomber flying-boat.
Бомбардировщик А-57 с самолетом-снарядом РСС
Bartini A-57 intercontinental supersonic flying-boat with RSS missile on the engine compartment.
The T-4 with lowered nose in the museum of the Russian Air Force at Monino.
Самолет Т-4 ("101") в цехе окончательной сборки ОКБ.
Sukhoi T-4 (100) under construction.
Standard weapons for Sukhoi bombers (from left to right): T-4 (100) armed with two long-range Kh-45 ASMs suspended under the fuselage; T-4M armed with eight Kh-2000 short-range attack missiles; T-4MS (200) with two Kh-45s inside the fuselage and two more at external hardpoints; and T-4MS as an air defence suppression aircraft carrying 24 Kh-2000s.
The T-4MS (Izdeliye 200) variable-geometry all-wing bomber.
This Tsybin NM-1, flight tested between 1959-1960, was a technology demonstrator for both the RSS stand-off missile and RSR reconnaissance aircraft.
This swing-wing canard bomber is the second of four considered layouts (note small 00000002 number on the tailfin root) of the Myasishchev M-20 intercontinental Mach 3 bomber of 1968.
The fourth and final design of the M-20 bomber. This model can also be considered as a model for the M-18 because the only difference between the two aircraft was the internal construction, with aluminium used instead of titanium and steel.
Wing of the M-20-4 (M-18) in fully swept back configuration.
Tsybin RS in its first layout with canards and the tail comprising the winged bomb.
