In 1954, the
design bureau headed by Pavel Tsybin started development of a
ramjet-powered
supersonic strategic bomber, the
RS. This design proved impracticable, and a smaller derivative, the
2RS was proposed, which would achieve intercontinental range by being
air-launched from a modified
Tupolev Tu-95 bomber. This too was unsuccessful, with the aircraft unable to return to base if used on an intercontinental mission, The design was therefore revised again to a reconnaissance aircraft capable of operating from conventional
runways, the
RSR. Because ramjets could not be used for take-off, they were replaced by
turbofans. This aircraft, powered by two
Mikulin AM-5 turbojets first flew on 7 April 1959. Based on the results of these trials, the RSR was redesigned (as the
R-020) to make it more manoeuvrable at high altitude (it was proposed to carry out
barrel rolls to avoid
surface-to-air missiles). More conventional
Tumansky R-11 turbojets (the engine used in the
MiG-21) replaced the unavailable Soloviev turbofans. Five R-020 airframes were virtually complete, only awaiting engines by April 1961, with another 10 planned, when Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev cancelled the program. ==Specifications (R-020)==