Myasishchev M-50

Myasishchev Design Bureau

Industry	Aerospace
Founder	Vladimir Myasishchev
Headquarters	Soviet Union
Products	Military aircraft, including the M-50 supersonic strategic bomber

The Myasishchev M-50 (Russian: Мясищев М-50; known by NATO as Bounder) was a Soviet experimental supersonic strategic bomber powered by four jet engines. It never entered operational service, with only a single airworthy prototype completed and taking its maiden flight in October 1959. This aircraft was developed by the Myasishchev design bureau.

Design and development

The M-50 featured a high-speed jet bomber configuration equipped with four engines: two outer Dobrynin VD-7 turbojets without afterburners, and two inner VD-7F turbojets fitted with afterburners. The inner pair of engines was mounted beneath the wings, while the outer engines were positioned on the wingtips of its shoulder-mounted, truncated delta wings.

A follow-up model, the M-52, was designed around Zubets 16-17 turbofan engines. This variant incorporated changes to the engine arrangement and added an additional tailplane atop the vertical stabilizer. The cockpit layout was also revised; instead of the M-50’s tandem seating, the M-52 featured a broader cockpit accommodating two pilots seated side-by-side. While the M-50 made an appearance at a Soviet Aviation Day flypast in 1961, the M-52 was completed but never underwent flight testing.

An unmanned variant known as the M-51 was developed as an intercontinental cruise missile capable of delivering multiple warheads to targets within the continental United States.

Similar to many supersonic strategic bomber projects from the early 1960s, the M-50/52 program was discontinued due to advancements in intercontinental ballistic missile technology and shifting focus towards the Soviet space program.

Nuclear-powered bomber

The 1 December 1958 edition of Aviation Week featured an article titled Soviets Flight Testing Nuclear Bomber, which asserted that the Soviet Union had made significant advancements in their nuclear aircraft initiative. Alongside this report, the magazine published an editorial discussing the subject. The publication confidently stated that "A nuclear-powered bomber is currently undergoing flight tests in the Soviet Union. It has been observed both during flight and on the ground by numerous foreign witnesses from Communist and non-Communist nations." However, the aircraft shown in the photographs was later identified as an M-50, which was not powered by nuclear energy.

In truth, during the early 1960s, the Soviet Union conducted tests on a technology demonstrator for a nuclear-powered strategic bomber known as the Tupolev Tu-95LAL. This effort resembled the earlier American Convair NB-36H program. Since it was based on the turboprop Tu-95, the bomber never achieved supersonic speeds nor operated under nuclear propulsion; its primary purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of nuclear reactor shielding. Furthermore, development was undertaken by the Tupolev Design Bureau after Myasischev's design lost out in the competition to produce the prototype. Although considered successful, progress slowed due to environmental issues. With the emergence of operational ICBMs, most resources and focus were redirected toward missile technology, leading to the project's cancellation in the early 1960s.Template:Fix/category On 9 July 1961, the M-50A completed its nineteenth and final flight, participating in a flypast during the annual Tushino air show. This event marked its sole public exhibition; today, this massive aircraft is exhibited at the Monino Museum near Moscow.

Specifications (M-50A)

File:Myasishchev M-50A Bounder two-view silhouette.png

Myasishchev M-50A Bounder

File:Myasishchev M-50, Russia - Air Force AN1535031.jpg

Rear view of the Myasishchev M-50

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20051029071603/http://www.aviation.ru/Mya/#50
• An alternative account, presented in English