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The 'Tupolev Tu-98' (NATO reporting name ''Backfin'') was a prototype swept wing jet bomber developed for the Soviet Union.

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Development

Specifications (Tu-98)

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Development

The 'Tu-98' emerged from a program for a fast supersonic bomber to replace the Tupolev Tu-16. It was powered by two Lyulka AL-7 turbojet engines with side-mounted intakes high on the fuselage (above the wingroot). The Tu-98 was built in 1955 and first flown in 1956. It was shown to an American delegation at the Kubinka air base outside Moscow in June 1956, but it subsequently did not enter service, and only the single prototype was completed.
The West incorrectly believed that the aircraft (thought to be an Ilyushin or Yakovlev design) was in service, possibly designated 'Yak-42', but that was not correct. The basic design of the Tu-98 did, however, have a great influence on the subsequent 'Tu-102', which became the basis of the Tupolev Tu-28P 'Fiddler' interceptor.

Specifications (Tu-98)

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