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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Russian 5th-Gen Fighter to Make Maiden Flight on Friday


Russia is set to hold the first test of its futuristic fifth-generation fighter jet on Friday, a source at the country's largest aircraft producer said on Thursday."The [test] flight was initially scheduled for Thursday, but has been postponed," the source at the Gagarin KNAAPO company, a subsidiary of aircraft holding Sukhoi, said.Russia's only known fifth-generation project is Sukhoi's PAK FA and the current prototype is the T-50. It is designed to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II, but has yet to take to the skies.

Speaking at a news conference later on Thursday, the chief of the Russian state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport said India remained Russia's sole partner in the project."We [Russia and India] are working to build the fifth-generation aircraft," Anatoly Isaikin said.Russia has been developing its newest fighter since the 1990s. The country's top military officials earlier said the stealth fighter jet with a range of up to 5,500 km would enter service with the Air Force in 2015.

India, which has a long history of defense relations with Russia, joined the project after signing an agreement in October 2007. But the two nations are still in talks to finalize the contract.India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was reported to be seeking a 25% share in design and development in the project. It has also sought to modify Sukhoi's single-seat prototype into the twin-seat fighter India's Air Force wants.

Russia accounts for around 70% of India's weapons inventory. HAL has license-produced Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters, cooperated in the development of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, and plans to work on a joint multirole transport aircraft.Defense ties have strained, however, over the fifth-generation fighter program and the rising cost of refurbishing the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for the Indian navy.

The PAK FA is to be armed with next-generation air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles, and has two 30-mm cannons.The first prototype of the jet was already tested on the runway of the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia's Far East. The test pilot made two runs on the airstrip, during which the brakes were applied several times.

RIA Novosti

12 comments:

Very exciting. Any picture on the prototype?

Wait... the two nations are still in talks to finalize the contract for Indian participation in the project while the prototype is already ready for flying. How then India can participate in the design work. I know Indian will start getting hysterical again but something must be fishy here.

India will only turn up with the high strength composite body parts. Indian version will have different avionics than Russian counterpart.

The geometry looks very promising.

YouTube video on PAK-FA T50'S first flight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oDm8YjLeKA

More details from FlightGlobal:

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/29/337795/pictures.html

@su30
I don't think that my comments are anti-India. I have just pointed out some intriguing points or aspects in some posted articles. You need to grow up. Hurling insults only exposes the cheap mentality that you Indians have. I’ll keep expressing my honest views in any case. I do not live in cast-ridden exploiting and suffocating India that you could force me be silent. I belong to FREE world. Freedom of expression is my right. You guys need to remember that it is a free world where not every thing goes according to your silly desires.

And freedom expression is my right too and I enjoy every right here in India.

George u just hate India and its progress and development. Remember India is not only getting ahead in weapons and defence as that is not called development and growth, India is the fastest growing economy of the world with GDP growth rate more than 9% as well as a recognised I.T superpower all over globe and we are fastly eliminating all the social, societal and political hurdles.

You have a cheap mentality thats why u don't respect a great country like India I think u even don't respect ur motherland and just wait for the day when our country will be ahead of yours and we will start exporting arms and other products to your country.

Here is a preliminary (not much, that is) analysis of the design's potential. Keep in mind that historically - eg MiG25, MiG29, Su27 - surprises DO COME in ways that critics and cynics never anticipated.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:021e786e-04be-426b-ad32-dcbb54b90d00&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

yes george India is a free country , but what about pakistan

This development is for India's national security and George u just hate India and its progress and development. Remember India is not only getting ahead in weapons and defence as that is not called development and growth, India is the fastest growing economy of the world with GDP growth rate more than 9% as well as a recognised I.T superpower all over globe and we are fastly eliminating all the social, societal and political hurdles.

You have a cheap mentality thats why u don't respect a great country like India I think u even don't respect ur motherland and just wait for the day when our country will be ahead of yours and we will start exporting arms and other products to your country.

If materialized, Sukhoi PAK FA is rumored to feature the following AESA arrays:
* X-band, 7,000W AESA on its nose
* Ka-band, 1,500W AESA on its chins
* L-band, 1,5000 AESA on leading edges
* Ka-band, 500W on leading edges
* X-band, 500W on wing tips
* IR countermeasure on wing tips
* X-band, 1,500W AESA on tail
* IR countermeasure on tail

That's a lot of AESA to be fitted onto a fighter-sized aircraft. Will PAK FA have enough power, computing and cooling power to house all these sensors? They better build a damn good anechoic chamber to test all these sensors properly before committing to full-rate production five years down the road.

Problem with Indians is that they lack patience and tolerance for adverse (even realistic) comments from others. That does not make a nation or country great. Citizens of every country believe their country being great but all, in fact, have strong and weak points. Denying weak aspects does not really help to project one belonging to a great country. India may be progressing fast but it may still have (and in fact, it has many) grave national issues. But you still have all the right to believe that India is a great country. Pakistan may have its own set of issues. That does not mean that Pakistanis can not have a right to believe that their country is great. I have no apparent reason to hate India. However, it does not mean that I did not feel utterly disgusted by the disgraceful personal attacks directed on me by some Indians.

My focus has always been commenting in general logically without targeting individuals. I expect logical responses too. Certainly not filthy attacks. I hope these individuals will realize the futility of their rouge conduct and start behaving.

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