In April 1967, the
Kuznetsov Design Bureau accepted an official request to create a new engine that would later be designated as the NK-22. A modernised version of the NK-22, the NK-23, first ran in July 1976 and was tested in flight on a
Tupolev Tu-22M2 bomber. Despite having more thrust (220 kN) than its predecessor, the NK-23 was not put into serial production. ==Applications==