Tsybin RSR or Soviet SR-71: Revealing the Covert Cold War Aircraft

Описание: In 1954, a group of unknown aircraft designers presented an airplane that was to revolutionize Soviet aviation. Tsybin RSR or Soviet SR-71 would have enormous speed and elements of stealth design. In a couple of years, it would turn into the world’s first supersonic aircraft to conduct strategic reconnaissance deep inside enemy territory. So, the Soviets were the first to have their SR-71?
While distinguished Desing bureaus competed to exceed twice the speed of sound; their airplane named RS was to obtain unbelievable 3000 km/h, to climb 30 km and its range of flight was to equal 14000 km.
Technical proposal presented by the head of the group named Pavel Tsybin was so daring that the military and political leadership could not but to support it. Preliminary offer was to create a high-speed delivery vehicle for nuclear weapons or as it was called “special cargo”. Its parameters had no alternative as ballistic missiles were under construction and existing bombers were subsonic. Tsybin managed to get his own Design Bureau together with aircraft building factory numbered 256. It was incredible impudence, especially to Tupolev, whose primacy in creating strategic bombers could have been attacked. That was unforgivable.
At the beginning the “special cargo” was the plane’s tail section and equipped with the wings.Later the project was changed into a conventional airplane, and the “special cargo” was located under the fuselage. Its engines would provide the speed of 3000 km/h at high altitude, but the range would not exceed only 7,500 km.
This brought another innovative idea. The RS was to be hung up under the Tupolev TU-95N carrier aircraft. TU-95N would carry it at a distance of 3000-4000 km. Later RS would be detached and accelerated by two coupled liquid-propellant rocket engines until it reached cruising altitude. After it, two airplane jet engines would provide the flight speed of 3000 km/h.
It was too much for Tupolev. He had to participate in the competitor's project as an additional link.
Several years after the death of Stalin Khrushchev managed to concentrate all the power in his hands. He started a total aviation contraction.
The RS project was closed as “special cargo” was now rocket-carrying. Tupolev Design bureau terminated work on the TU-95N unilaterally.
They could hardly save their TU-95 production.
This could be the end, but the crisis gave birth to an aircraft which had no analogs in the USSR. Remember those five aircraft concepts, signed by the chief designer. One of them was a concept of a strategic reconnaissance aircraft, an airplane which was to become Soviet SR-71 Blackbird. Spy satellites were far from development, and the airplane's high altitude and speed left no alternative. This project was the one that saved Tsybin Design bureau.
The project, named the RSR, reaktivnyi samolet razvedchik or reconnaissance jet airplane, took little from its RS predecessor, mostly its unusual aerodynamic layout. Mach 3 filght speed was not achievable, the maximum speed equaled Mach 2.85.
The project completed on June 26, 1957 and was excellently made, so the Government commission confirmed the validity of its performance. The most daring hopes of the Kremlin began to come true. They would receive the first supersonic aircraft in the world to conduct reconnaissance at a distance of 1,700 km from the airfield at any time of day.
Full-scale model named NM-1 was needed to do in-depth research of its take-off, landing, air behavior and other specific features. The NM-1 aircraft's control ability during take-off and landing was much superior to those of Su-7, Su-9, MiG-19 and MiG-21.
The production model was to be ready by 1960. To speed up the work new engines R-11F by Tumansky were to be introduced. Since they were outfitted in the MiG 21F aircraft, the chief designer Mikoyan was tasked to help with the implementation of a new propulsion system.
In 1961 the work on the project was stopped, bureau was redirected to rocket constuction.
In the late 1960s, while working as a deputy chief designer of Korolev Pavel Tsybin, finally managed to build his reconnaissance aircraft. The experience he acquired in the creation of the RSR was utilized in the design of the first Soviet reconnaissance satellite, 'Zenit', which was put into service in 1964. Strategic reconnaissance airplanes were no longer needed.

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All images used in this video are considered to be the public domain hosted on:
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flicr.com;
wikipedia.org;
commons.wikimedia.org.
Thank you all!!!!
The other images and animation are created in Blender.
00:00 Introduction
01:39 Tsybin RS
05:37 TU-95N Carrier
06:46 Khrushchev against aviation
07:43 Tsybin RSR
11:22 NM-1 Scale model
13:02 RSR opposition
18:07 End of the RSR
18:46 What was after
19:44 He finally did it