MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian M-55 Geofizika high-altitude plane (NATO codename Mystic) is getting ready to fly from Germany to Brazil, a source in the defense industry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
"The flight will be make in the framework of the research program of the German Aviation Research Center (DLR), which is performed under an agreement with the European Space Agency," the source said.
Upon arrival to Brazil, the plane will get extra research equipment, after which it will make five to seven flights at altitudes of up to 20 km to perform research in higher atmosphere layers.
"The plane's return to Russia is scheduled for March 10," the source said.
The M-55 was made by the Myasishchev Experimental Plant in 1988 as high-altitude spy plane but never became commercially operational. Four planes were made for the Defense Ministry, then two of them crashed. One of the remaining was made the base for the Geofizika ecological monitoring plane.
The M-55 can lift 1,500kg of equipment to an altitude of up to 21.5km. It is powered by twin no-afterburner PS-30V-12 engines with a nominal thrust of 4,500kg. At 21,000m, the thrust goes down to 670kg.
The M-55's only world peer - the U.S.-made U-2R - makes a fleet of 35, each worth over $30 million.