Russo-Indian 5-Gen stealth fighter to take to the skies in four months
31 Aug 2009
New Delhi: India's first fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft will take to the skies in four month's time, a senior Indian defence ministry official said Sunday.
"The aircraft, which can attain a top speed of Mach 2 or twice the speed of sound without consumption of huge amounts of aviation fuel, is being developed by Sukhoi in Russia under a $3 billion deal," the official said, on condition of anonymity.
"It is to be equipped with high-end radars which can detect targets with maximum accuracy," he said.
Many advanced technologies that will be used in the stealth fighter have been adapted from the multi-role fighter aircraft, Sukhoi-30MKI.
Earlier, at the MAKS 2009 air show, held at Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, this month, Sukhoi director general, Mikhail Pogosyan, told reporters that the 5-Gen fighter would make its maiden flight by the year-end.
"We will spare no effort for this to happen this year, and I believe we have every reason to say this work is proceeding according to plan," he said.