The Myasishchev design history is so rich and varied that it truly deserves a reference book that can be read by people outside the Russian-speaking countries!
The MDB is quite unique in itself: the proportion of projects that actually saw the light of day is simply ridiculous compared to the billions of rubles that must have been invested in research by the bureau since the 1940s. If it had been a Western company and not an Eastern design bureau, it would have gone bankrupt a loooong time ago... but because it got state support, it was able to carry on with its work for 5 decades while spawning only one major production type, the Bison, and a few prototypes. And also providing Russian aerospace industry with invaluable data, especially where space programs are concerned.
I have listed no less than 180 separate designs or versions from Myasishchev, from the 1940 VM-1 (DVB-102) high-altitude bomber to the recent Molniya series of projects. Surely this amazing (and largely unknown) piece of aviation history deserves to be told other than in Cyrillic!
