The winding-down of the Cold War in the latter portion of the 1980s dramatically reduced the need for the aircraft, which was designed with the intention of penetrating Soviet airspace and attacking high-value targets.
A desaparición da guerra fría a finais dos anos 80 reduxo dramaticamente a necesidade do avión, que fora deseñado coa intención de penetrar o espazo aéreo soviético e atacar obxectivos de alto valor.