Russian 5th Gen stealth fighter tests commence 2010
09 Dec 2009
Nizhny Novgorod: Russia will begin testing its fifth-generation PAK-FA fighter in 2010, Russian deputy prime minister, Sergei Ivanov, said Tuesday. "The trials will begin in 2010," Ivanov said.
This is a change over earlier announcements that tests would commence before the end of this year. The prototype under development is the T-50.
The aircraft is intended to match the qualities of the US stealth F-22 Raptor and the JSF-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Currently the F-22 Raptor is the world's only fifth generation fighter.
The PAK-FA T-50 is scheduled to enter service with the Russian Air Force in 2015. The T-50's maiden test flight has been repeatedly postponed since early 2007. In August 2009, Russian Air Force chief Alexander Zelin had indicated that there were problems with the engines and research was ongoing.
Sukhoi PAK-FA and the HAL FGFA
In 2007, Russia and India agreed to jointly develop what the Indians dubbed as a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme. At that time, Sukhoi director, Mikhail Pogosyan, was quoted as saying, "We [India and Russia] will share the funding, engineering and intellectual property in a 50-50 proportion."