✈️ Myasishchev M-50 “Bounder” — Review

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🧩 Overview

The Myasishchev M-50 was a Soviet prototype supersonic strategic bomber, designed in the 1950s during a period of intense Cold War weapons innovation. It was intended to fly at supersonic speeds, deliver nuclear weapons, and serve as a direct competitor to American high-speed bombers like the B-58 Hustler and the planned B-70 Valkyrie.

However, it never entered service — only one prototype was ever completed and flown. Despite that, it remains one of the most aesthetically radical and technically ambitious designs to ever emerge from the USSR.

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⚙️ Specifications

• First flight: October 27, 1959

• Manufacturer: Myasishchev Design Bureau

• Role: Experimental supersonic strategic bomber

• Wingspan: 35.1 m (115 ft)

• Length: 57.5 m (188 ft)

• Engines: 4 × turbojets (2 underwing, 2 wingtip-mounted)

• Top speed: Estimated Mach 1.5+ (1,800+ km/h)

• Range: ~6,000–7,000 km (est.)

• Ceiling: ~15,000+ meters (49,000+ ft)

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🛠 Design Features

• Delta wing with swept-back planform: Contributed to its high-speed potential.

• Four-engine layout: Two engines under each wing root, and two more mounted near the wing tips — a rare configuration.

• Futuristic shape: The narrow fuselage and wide wing sweep gave it a space-age appearance.

• Tail and stabilizer configuration: Unconventional high-mounted horizontal tail.

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📜 History & Purpose

The M-50 was part of the Soviet push to develop long-range bombers that could outrun and outfly U.S. defenses. However, the emergence of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) quickly shifted strategic thinking.

Only one prototype flew — and only a few times. The project was canceled as ICBMs became the dominant nuclear delivery method, and the bomber’s performance didn’t live up to its ambitious design goals.

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📷 Public Display

In a classic Cold War move, the USSR displayed the M-50 at the 1961 Tushino Air Show, leading to major speculation in the West. NATO gave it the codename “Bounder”, and many believed it was already in operational service (it wasn’t).

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🧱 Strengths

• Radically innovative design for its time

• Supersonic capabilities

• Demonstrated Soviet engineering boldness

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⚠️ Weaknesses

• Poor range for a strategic bomber

• Never fully achieved supersonic performance in testing

• Extremely complex and maintenance-heavy

• Obsolete before it flew, due to ICBM developments

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🏁 Final Verdict: