By the middle of 1950-ies the main front-line reconnaissance aircraft was considered to be Il-28R. But the car, excellent in all respects, by the time against the backdrop of recent supersonic fighters became morally obsolete. Created at the same time, the Yak-25P, although outnumbered, “Il”, but the requirements of the military on the prospective scout is also not satisfied. In this situation, OKB A. S. Yakovlev proposed to develop a supersonic fighter-scout with engines AM-9F (RD-9F). The government and the military supported the proposal and in March 1956 was signed the corresponding decree.
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