During the 1950s and 1960s the United States instituted several programs using high-altitude reconnaissance balloons, released over friendly territory to ascend into the jetstream and be transported over the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China.

Before Subject 34 could be developed into operational hardware, the threat receded due to the success of the Keyhole reconnaissance satellites of the Corona program and the emergence of the Lockheed A-12.

[2] The design of the Chaika was adapted as a reconnaissance aircraft and emerged as the Myasishchev M-17 Stratosphera with a revised airframe, including straight tapered wings with 2° 30' anhedral (0° at 1g), shorter fuselage pod and unreheated (non-afterburning) Kolesov RD-36-51 turbojet engine.

[4] First flown on 16 Aug 1988, the M-55 airframe was revised further with a longer fuselage pod, housing two Soloviev D-30-10V un-reheated turbofan engines, shorter-span wings and comprehensive sensor payload.

[11][dead link‍] As of 2023[update], the UK Ministry of Defence believes that Russia is working to return the one flyable M-55 aircraft to military service for use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.