Soviet Mach 3 manned air-launched ramjet aircraft, developed in 1954-1961, but cancelled before the first full-scale test article could be flown.

The Tsybin RS was originally a high-speed ground-launched manned aircraft. The March 1954 draft project specified a twin ramjet vehicle that would cruise at 3,000 km/hr at 30 km altitude, over a 14,400 km range, with a takeoff mass of only 22 metric tons. To achieve this performance would require that 75% of the takeoff mass would be fuel, and 3% payload, leaving only 22% for the vehicle.

This was not achievable, and the final design had an empty weight 43% of the takeoff weight, cutting the range in half. By August 1956 the design had been modified to the more modest RSR configuration, which was air launched, cruised at 2800 km/hour at 26,700 m with a 1700 km radius of action. A subsonic aerodynamic test vehicle, the NM-1 was built and first flown on 7 April 1959 by test pilot Amert-Khan Sultan. Construction of prototypes was started the same year, but then stopped in the spring of 1961, with three airframes nearly finished. Tsybin went to work for Korolev at OKB-1.

Manufacturer: Tsybin.

1954 March - Tsybin RS draft project The design specified a twin ramjet vehicle that would cruise at 3,000 km/hr at 30 km altitude, over a 14,400 km range, with a takeoff mass of only 22 tonnes.

1955 May 23 - RS ramjet-powered Mach 3 intercontinental aircraft P V Tsybin’s OKB-256 selected to build the RS ramjet-powered Mach 3 intercontinental reconnaissance/strike aircraft. The aircraft, air-launched from a Tu-95N bomber, was in competition with the V M Myasishchev (OKB-23) RSS-52 system.

1956 August - Tsybin RS rescoped to RSR concept The RS design was modified to the more modest RSR configuration, which was air launched, cruised at 2800 km/hour at 26,700 m with a 1700 km radius of action.

1959 April 7 - NM-1 first flight A subsonic aerodynamic test vehicle of the RSR trisonic missile, the NM-1 was first flown oby test p[ilot Amert-Khan Sultan.

1961 March - RS project cancelled Tsybin's design bureau had been taken over by Chelomei, and work on the RS was stopped in the spring of 1961, with three airframes nearly finished. Tsybin went to work for Korolev at OKB-1.