AG1=Brake parachute

For [Soviet Era Challenge]

Myasishchev M-50 (NATO reporting name: "Bounder")
The M-50 was a Soviet experimental supersonic strategic bomber developed by the Myasishchev Design Bureau in the late 1950s during the height of the Cold War. Intended as a counterpart to the American B-58 Hustler and the proposed XB-70 Valkyrie, the M-50 embodied the USSR's ambition to create a long-range, high-speed nuclear strike aircraft capable of penetrating advanced Western air defenses.

Powered by four Dobrynin VD-7/7M turbojet engines (later prototypes featured two VD-7 and two afterburning ZD-6 engines), the M-50 achieved a maximum speed of Mach 1.85 (1,950 km/h) and an estimated range of 7,400 km without refueling. Its futuristic design featured a swept-wing configuration, a T-tail, and a streamlined fuselage optimized for high-speed flight. Unlike traditional bombers, it relied on internal weapons bays to carry nuclear or conventional payloads, reducing drag for supersonic performance.

The M-50 made its first flight on October 27, 1959, but the program faced significant challenges, including engine inefficiency at high speeds, limited range compared to subsonic bombers like the Tu-95, and the Soviet Union's shifting focus toward ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles). Only two prototypes were built, with the improved M-52 variant (featuring canards and upgraded engines) never progressing beyond design studies.

Though the M-50 never entered production, it demonstrated Soviet advancements in supersonic aerodynamics and influenced later aircraft designs. Its existence also fueled Western speculation during the Cold War, with NATO assigning it the reporting name "Bounder." Today, the sole surviving M-50 prototype is preserved at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino, Russia, serving as a testament to the USSR's ambitious but ultimately unrealized supersonic bomber program.