The Tupolev Tu-98 (NATO reporting name Backfin) was a prototype swept wing jet bomber developed by Tupolev for the Soviet Union. 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 Tushino airfield outside Moscow in June 1956, but it subsequently did not enter service, and only the single prototype was completed. The basic design of the Tu-98 had a great influence on the subsequent prototype of the Tupolev Tu-28 interceptor, officially known as the Tu-128 (NATO codename 'Fiddler'). The Tu-98 was a supersonic bomber developed by OKB-156, designed as a replacement for the Tu-16. Work on the prototype began on the basis of the Resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers on April 12, 1954. The aircraft's chief designer was D. S. Markov. The aircraft was built in 1955 and took to the air for the first time in 1956. Test flights continued until 1959. The Tu-98 did not pass any of the state tests nor did it enter into production due to numerous, unresolved manufacturing and technological difficulties. The aircraft was later used as a flying, supersonic research laboratory during the development of the Tu-128 interceptor. The last flight was made on November 21, 1960 when the undercarriage collapsed. The prototype was subsequently written off. The "98" was further developed into a lightweight version of the supersonic bomber called the "98A" (Tu-24). The Tu-98 was shown to a US delegation under General Twining at the Kubinka military airfield near Moscow in June 1956 and presented by Soviet first secretary Nikita Khrushchev as the latest Soviet bomber development. The US military was impressed and, as no details were given about the aircraft, assigned the design to the Yakovlev design office. There were also speculations about an alleged series production, which was estimated at 15 pieces per year in 1958, which is why NATO gave the code name Backfin and the (fictitious) designation Yak-42. A commissioning was never planned for the Tu-98. The only prototype was flown only for test purposes and at the air parade in Tushino. The design of the Tu-98 had a major impact on the prototype of the Tupolev Tu-28