Zhukovsky, Moscow: Russia's fifth generation fighter will be about three times as cheap as its American, and sole counterpart, the F-22 Raptor, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has said. Putin spoke after watching the 16th test flight of the "fifth-generation" stealth fighter, the PAK-FA which also goes under the designation T-50.

The stealth aircraft is Russia's first all-new warplane since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"This machine will be superior to our main competitor, the F-22, in terms of manoeuvrability, weaponry and range," Putin said after the flight.

Saying that the plane would not only cost up to three times less than similar aircraft in the West Putin also confirmed that the T-50 would remain in service for 30-35 years with upgrades, according to a government report.

Chief test pilot Sergei Bogdan said the flight was the model's 16th and that more would follow.

Bogdan also said the controls of the T-50 allowed the pilot to operate most of the plane's systems without taking his hands off the joystick, which is a very useful facility to have under high forces of gravity.

Earlier, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin had said the T-50 would undergo more than 2,000 flight tests before full-scale production starts.

Putin said Russia has already spent about 30 billion rubles (approx $1 billion) on the project and approximately the same amount would be required the development aspect of the project. The engine, weaponry and other components would be upgraded separately.

Keeping modernization and upgrades in mind the fighter was expected to have a service life of 30-35 years.

Sukhoi design bureau's PAK-FA is being developed to compete with the US F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II, a lighter ground attack version.

The fighter is being developed in conjunction with India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which is primarily focussed on developing a two-seater derivative of the aircraft.

The PAK-FA will be armed with next-generation air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles, and will also carry two 30-mm cannons.

PAK-FA's upper speed limit is 2600 km/h, while the maximum non-after-burning speed is 2100 km/h. The practical range for operations is 4300 km.

This compares to a top speed of 2410 km/h for the F-22 Raptor, which has a maximum non-after-burning speed of 1963 km/h. The practical range for operations is 3219 km, almost a 1,000km less than the T-50.