Russia T-50 Stealth Fighter To Make Its International Debut At MAKS 2011

T-50 stealth fighter jointly

financed by Russia and India will make its first international public appearance at the MAKS airshow which went underway in Moscow, where Moscow unveiled its newest space shuttle, armed drones and a new range of upgraded weapons.

Two prototypes of the single seater jet, estimated to cost USD 6 billion, are expected to fly over Zhukovsky air field on the outskirts of Moscow.

"The co-development projects of the two countries will remain centerpiece of the Russian aviation industry", declared Mikhail Pogosyan, President of the United Aircraft Corporation, makers of the aircraft.

IAF Chief Naik Witness Flight Demonstration OF PAK FA Stealth Fighter Jet in Russia

Indian Air Force chief Pradeep Vasant Naik witnessed flight demonstration of 5th Generation fighter aircraft PAK FA along with upgraded Indian air force’s Mig-29UPG .

Event was witnessed by the President of the United Aircraft Corporation, CEO of Sukhoi and RSK MiG Mikhail Pogosyan, the representatives of Rosoboronexport, the Russian Air Force. and the flight demonstration was held at Gromov Flight Research Institute in Moscow .

Second Prototype Of the Russian PAK FA T-50 Stealth Fighter made its First Flight

The second prototype of a promising fifth-generation fighter T-50 (PAK FA) made its maiden flight, according to Interfax . The plane took off from the runway of Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association. The flight was successful. Fighter piloted by distinguished test pilot Sergei Bogdan Russia, in early 2010 flew the first prototype of the T-50.
According to Bogdan, all on-board aircraft systems worked normally. "Stability and controllability of the aircraft in the air got a good grade. All systems and aircraft engine worked flawlessly," - said an unnamed source agency in the military-industrial complex. Previously, the second prototype T-50 passed ground tests. Parallel tests were carried out and the first prototype of the T-50, which to date has made 40 flights.

As expected, the test airframe PAK FA will be completed in 2011-2012 and in 2013 the Russian Defense Ministry will conclude with the "Dry" contract for the supply of ten aircraft to test the weapons. The first phase of testing T-50 finish before the end of 2013. Continuous buying fighter jets will begin in 2016 and will be implemented under the state program of armaments for 2011-2020. Apart from an experimental batch of ten aircraft in 2016 is planned to buy 60 more such vehicles. On further procurement of aircraft while it is not known.

PAK FA made its first flight on Jan. 29, 2010. Technical characteristics of the aircraft are classified. It is only known that T-50 will be highly intellectualization of the board and be able to take off and landing on runways length of 300-400 meters. The aircraft will be capable of performing combat missions in any weather and time of day, and will also maneuverability.

Chinese J-20 Black Eagle a powerful competitor to American F-22 & Russian T-50

According to the Russian "Airport" website reported January 12, China’s fifth generation fighter J-20 which completed successfully test flight is expected to become a powerful competitor of the U.S. F-22 and Russian T-50 . Some analysts believe that the smooth progress of this test show that China’s military aviation industry has made great breakthroughs in recent years, the U.S. air superiority in the region will be seriously challenged.

In the January 11 test flight carried out, J-20 for about 15 minutes of flight.

Western media have pointed out that recently appeared in Chinese media reports on J-20 might have been the consent of the Chinese military leadership.

Analysts believe that, J-20′s successful flight test showed that the modernization of China in terms of weapons far beyond the achievements of previous estimates of foreign military experts.

 

It is predicted that, J-20 will be served in the 2017-2019 years, and became the F-22 (today the only fifth generation fighter aircraft in service) and the Russian T-50 (it is expected to be put into production in 2015) competitors.

Published photos from the current point of view, J-20 is greater than the size of F-22 and T-50, which means it may have a longer range and greater payload. However, the performance of the aircraft airborne equipment is still a mystery.

Of course, China’s aviation industry in recent years great progress thanks in large part to advanced technology from abroad. For a long time, the engine has been plagued the development of China’s aviation industry one of the major bottlenecks. Some analysts believe that China has not yet developed to fully meet the needs of the new J-20 engine.

However, military experts pointed out that China may use existing engines for the J-20 flight testing. The experts explained that the test flight time may not be too long, the height and speed requirements are also lower than the levels after actual use.

According to the Associated Press news release, China has produced the two J-20 prototype: a Russian-made engine installed, the other one, the installation of Chinese-made engine. It should be stressed that, for the first flight of it is that Chinese-made aircraft engines installed J-20.

As for the J-20′s stealth capabilities, some experts pointed out that the performance of the machine although weaker than the U.S. F-22, but it is also quite good, the front section of the radar reflectivity of about 0.05 square meter.

J-20 test flight in the United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Beijing for the second day. British analysts have pointed out that the move may be to show Beijing its military to prepare to make their research programs become more transparent.

Of course, China also released a new generation of fighter flight out of a signal – even though the United States and its allies have expressed unease, China will continue to promote the country’s military modernization process.

Russia And India Speed Up Work On PAK-FA After Getting Competetion From Chinese J-20

Russia and India should speed up work on their joint fifth-generation fighter plane to meet the challenge from the Chinese rival unveiled earlier this week, said a leading military expert.

“The Chinese prototype of a fifth-generation aircraft, J-20, appears to be a long-range strike aircraft and as such it will pose a potential threat to India,” said analyst Konstantin Makienko of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST).

China's stealth fighter made its first 15-minute flight on Tuesday over an airfield in the south-western city of Chengdu. Mr. Makienko called the test flight an “unquestionable success” for the Chinese defence industry.
“China has emerged as the third nation developing the fifth-generation fighter plane after the U.S. and Russia,” he told The Hindu.
The Russian expert said India and Russia should intensify efforts to build their advanced fighter plane if they are not to lose the race to China.
“The J-20 fighter will be a direct rival of the Russian-Indian fifth-generation aircraft. The Chinese plane will be ready by 2020, so time will be a crucial factor.”

The Russian prototype, T-50, made its first flight a year ago. India joined the project only last month when the two sides signed a contract for the preliminary design of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft to be called Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).

India will contribute about 30 per cent of the plane's total design by providing composite material components, some avionics, electronic warfare systems and cockpit displays. Indian designers will also be responsible for re-modelling Russia's single-seat fighter into a two-seater version for the IAF.

The PMF planes are expected to start rolling out around 2017, but delays cannot be ruled out, judging by past experience.
The fifth-generation fighter will be the first Indo-Russian aviation project that will be marketed in third countries.

The Russian Center for Analysis of International Weapons Trade estimates the global market for the PMF at over 400 planes.
“In order to retain its competitive edge the Russian-Indian fifth-generation fighter should enter global markets before the Chinese plane and cap its price at $80-100 million per aircraft,” the Russian expert said.
To rival China's new stealth jet

Chinese J-20 Black Eagle US F-22 Sukhoi T-50 Stealth Fighters

Chinese J-20 US_F-22 Sukhoi T-50 Stealth Fighters

Chendu J-20 US F-22 Sukhoi T-50 Pak-Fa Fighter Jets

Top 5 Fighter Planes Under Development

F-35:

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of fifth-generation, single-seat, single-engine stealth multirole fighters. After entering service it would be considered as the  most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, performing ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions.

 

The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), integrates advanced very low observable stealth into a supersonic, highly agile 5th generation fighter. The capabilities built into the F-35 Lightning II provide the pilot with unprecedented situational awareness and unmatched lethality and survivability.

Some of its salient features are :
- Dominates all adversaries in the air or on the surface.
- Has the ability to survive and prosecute the most formidable threats expected to emerge beyond 2020.
- Conducts air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions simultaneously.
- Incorporates the most powerful and comprehensive sensor and mission avionics package ever to fly in a fighter.

Sukhoi’s T-50  PAK FA:

The Sukhoi PAK FA is a fifth-generation jet fighter being developed by Sukhoi for the Russian Air Force.The current prototype is Sukhoi’s T-50. The PAK FA, when fully developed, is intended to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker in the Russian inventory and serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA project being developed with India. As a  fifth generation jet fighter, it is designed to directly compete with Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. The T-50 performed its first flight January 29, 2010.Its second flight was on February 6 and its third on February 12. As of August 31, 2010, it made 17 flights in total.Sukhoi director Mikhail Pogosyan has projected a market for 1,000 aircraft over the next four decades, which will be produced in a joint venture with India, two hundred each for Russia and India and six hundred for other countries.He has also said that the Indian contribution would be in the form of joint work under the current agreement rather than as a joint venture. The Indian Air Force will “acquire 50 single-seater fighters of the Russian version” before the two seat FGFA is developed. The Russian Defense Ministry will purchase the first ten aircraft after 2012 and then 60 after 2016.

Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA):


The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), formerly known as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA), is a twin-engined 5th generation stealth multirole fighter being developed by India. It will complement the HAL Tejas, the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and the yet undecided MRCA in the Indian Air Force. The main purpose of this aircraft is to replace the aging SEPECAT Jaguar & Dassault Mirage 2000. The Medium Combat Aircraft [MCA] is envisioned as a replacement for the British Jaguar and Mirage 2000 the IAF flies, which as of 2002 were to be phased out by 2015. Development costs were expected to be over US $2 billion. At that time, India’s DRDO intended to develop a stealth Medium Combat Aircraft, a further extension of its LCA design, in order to replace the Jaguar and Mirage inventory beginning around 2010.The MCA designers plan to pursue technologies superior to anything currently on offer. India’s aeronautical designers see the MCA programme as crucial for taking forward the expertise that has been painstakingly accumulated in the Tejas LCA programme.

J-XX Stealth Fighter:


China has already launched its next generation stealth fighter aircraft programme, and Shenyang Aircraft Industry Co. (SAC) has been selected to head research and development of a new fighter for the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). According to the reports, development of the subsystems including the engine and weapon suite for the next generation fighter, which was code named by the Western intelligence as J-XX, has been underway for some time. Images of the concepts show a twin-engine aircraft sharing some design traits with Lockheed Martin’s stealth F/A-22 “Raptor” multirole fighter such as the internal carriage of its weapons.

Not too much public information about the programme is available at the moment. Sources within China’s confirmed that the SAC is looking at a twin-engine, single-seat, single vertical tale fin design, but other design proposals has yet been ruled out.  As China has developed close ties with Russia’s aerospace industry and has license produced many planes of formal Soviet designs, it can be predicted that the J-XX would include some, if not many Russian technologies and designs. China has been offered a ‘joint development and production’ of a new fifth-generation fighter by Russia -LFI. Russia has been trying to sell this concept both to China and India for some time, but neither of them has committed fully yet. Stealth and thrust vectoring are two must-have features in all aircraft being designed in the 21st century. It is not clear that how much progress Chinese designers have made in these areas, and Chinese aircraft industry may have to take Western/Israeli/Russian helps to make the J-XX truly fouth-generation (or fifth-generation using the Russian standards). Once introduced, the J-12′s immediate rival will be U.S. F/A-22, JSF and India’s MCA (Medium Combat Aircraft).

JASDF Stealth Fighter ATD-X:


JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Forces) planners have been attempting to acquire the American F-22 Raptor jet fighter to replace their current F-15 Eagle fighter planes. The F-22 Raptor is packed with the latest avionics and stealth technology but its high tech features have the Pentagon concerned about security leaks. Even though the United States would lose out financially by not selling Japan the F-22, security issues are front & center these days and Japan is now looking to its own aircraft designers to provide a home-grown solution.

The Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin is a Japanese aircraft being developed by the Ministry of Defense Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) for research purposes. ATD-X is an acronym which represents “Advanced Technology Demonstrator – X”. The main contractor is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This aircraft will be used as a technology demonstrator and research prototype to determine whether domestic advanced technologies for a fifth generation fighter aircraft are viable. The aircraft’s first flight is scheduled for 2014. The design of the aircraft reflects those of several American fourth and fifth generation fighters, most notably the F-22. Japan is set to develop its own next-generation stealth fighter jets to reduce its dependence on foreign technology and counter similar moves by China and Russia.

Indo-Russian PakFA Pact To Be Sign soon

Indo-Russian Fifth Genration Fighter Aircraft Pact

Late on Thursday evening, in a triumph for the Russia-India defencerelationship, the two countries signed off on a joint venture toco-develop a 15-20-tonne payload, 2,500-km range multi-role transportaircraft (MTA), which will replace the Indian Air Force’s venerableAN-32 at the end of the next decade.

But this path-breaking $600-million co-development of the MTA is likelyto be dwarfed soon, when India and Russia each pledge $6 billion toco-develop the world’s premier fighter, a step ahead of the US AirForce’s F-22 Raptor, which currently rules the skies. 

Senior defence ministry sources have confirmed to Business Standardthat years of tortuous negotiations have been successfully concluded intime for Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s visit to India inDecember. Russian and Indian negotiators have finalised a preliminarydesign contract (PDC), a key document that will allow designers fromboth sides to actually begin work on the fighter.


HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak had indicated to Business Standard on arecent visit to HAL, Bangalore, that the deal was done. “It is in thesystem for approval,” said Nayak. “The respective work shares have beenagreed to by both sides and once we sign the preliminary designcontract, we will finish the design in about 18 months. Developing andbuilding the fighter could take 8-10 years, and each side will pay $6billion as its share.”

The Russian and Indian Air Forces each plan to build around 250fighters, at an estimated cost of $100 million each. That adds up to$25 billion, over and above the development cost.


These astronomical figures prompted Russia into co-development withIndia. The inescapability of cost sharing was reinforced last year whenthe Pentagon was forced to shut down its F-22 Raptor programme. Sincethe technologies in the F-22 were deemed crucial to America’stechnological superiority, the fighter was developed and built entirelywithin the US. As a result, its prohibitive cost — $340 million perfighter — forced the Pentagon to cap the programme at 187 fighters,just half what it planned to buy in 2006.

“If the US could not afford to go it alone on a fifth-generationfighter, Russia clearly cannot,” points out a senior Indian Air Forceofficer. “There was no choice but to co-opt India as a partner.”

Russia initially offered India partnership in the fighter programmearound eight years ago, but there was little clarity then on crucialissues like work-share, ie, what systems and components each side woulddevelop. From 2005-07, India’s growing closeness with the US sloweddown the project. Progress received a boost from the Russia-Indiainter-government agreement in November 07.

But HAL sources recount that, even after the agreement, Russiannegotiators’ concerns about sharing top-secret technologies meant thata green signal from Moscow was needed for every step of thenegotiations.

“This is the first time that Russia is co-developing a cutting-edgemilitary platform with another country. Therefore, they were unclearabout how to share work in a top-secret project like this,” says asenior HAL official. “Before each step, the Russian officials wantedclearances from the highest level in Moscow. Those ‘presidentialdecrees’, as they call them, took their time.”

Consequently, says the HAL chairman, it has taken almost three yearsfrom the inter-government agreement to negotiate a general contract andnon-disclosure agreement. In March 2010, a tactical technicalassignment was signed, in which the work-shares were agreed upon.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau has built a basicfifth-generation fighter, which Russia terms the PAK-FA, an acronym forPerspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsy (literallyProspective Aircraft Complex of Frontline Aviation). A prototype,tailored to Russian Air Force requirements, made its first flight inJanuary 2010.

India’s work-share for the joint fighter programme, according to HALofficials, will amount to about 30% of the overall design effort. Thiswill centre on composite components and high-end electronics like themission computer, avionics, cockpit displays and the electronic warfaresystems. Additionally, India will have to redesign the single-seatPAK-FA into the two-seater fighter that the IAF prefers. Like theSukhoi-30MKI, IAF prefers one pilot flying and the other handlingsensors, networks and weaponry.

Indian close look-up of PAK FA fighter

Russia has conducted a flight demonstration with its prototype PAKFA fighter for a delegation of Indian defence ministry and industryofficials.

Held at Ramenskoye aerodrome near Moscow on 31August, the 10min display was made in support of  New Delhi of a new fifth-generationfighter over thebilateral development by Moscow

Indian officials inspected Sukhoi'slone PAK FA following the demonstration, which included low-speedpasses and high angle-of-attack manoeuvres. The aircraft, which will befollowed by two more prototypes before the end of the year, is picturedwith new-look camouflage markings.


The new fighter programme is a topic of discussion by anIndo-Russian commission for military industrial co-operation, alongwith another to produce a multi-role transport aircraft with a 20tpayload capacity.
New Delhi is insisting on executing both programmes as joint ventures, with equal sharing of investment and workshare.
Russia'sair force has a requirement for 250-300 next-generation T-50 fightersto enter use from 2015-16, while India plans to buy between 200 and 250of the joint design. This should use a common airframe and engines, buthave its on-board systems and weapons tailored for their individualneeds.
First flown in January, the PAK FA prototype is intendedto de-risk features such as the use of low-observable materials andthrust-vectoring engines with supercruise performance, plus internallycarried weapons.
Russian sources suggest a pre-production batchof between six and 10 aircraft will be built to support future testingof the type, with the nation's air force expected to launch operationaltrials in Lipetsk around 2012-13.

Indians look into Russia’s fifth-generation jet fighter

An Indian delegation hasarrived at the town of Zhukovsky, near Moscow, to be briefed on andexamine Russia’s new “frontline aircraft system”.

The delegation comprises officials of the HAL aircraft-building corporation, of the Defence Ministry and India’s Air Force.

Thevisit is part of the effort to carry out a joint project to develop afifth-generation jet fighter that’s partly funded by India.

India’s Defence Ministry is expected to buy some 250 such planes. 

Russia, Brazil To Cooperate On 5th Generation Fighter Program

MOSCOW: Russia continues to look for partners to help implement itsfifth-generation fighter program, also known as PAK FA - Prospective(promising) Aircraft System of the Frontline Aviation.
Apart from India, which has agreed to cooperate with Russia's SukhoiCivil Aircraft Company (SCAC), now working on the fifth-generationfighter program,Brazil could also join in. Alexander Fomin, DeputyDirector of Russia's Federal Service for Military-TechnicalCooperation, said Moscow and Brasilia were negotiating technology exchanges and the possibility of assembling PAK FA fighters in Brazil under a Russian license.
The new warplane is to replace the Russian Air Force's fourth-generation fighters in the next decade.
The Soviet Union launched fifth-generation fighter programs in the 1980s. By the mid-1990s, the Mikoyan Design Bureaudeveloped the Project 1.44/1.42 warplane, also known as theMikoyan-Gurevich MiG MFI. MiG is now using this designation for anadvanced MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter. Despite the non-production status ofthe 1.44/1.42 program, NATO assigned the reporting name Flatpack to it.

The Sukhoi Aviation Corporation came up with the S-37/Su-47 Berkut-- Golden Eagle/Firkin experimental supersonic forward swept-wing jetfighter. The S-37/Su-47 aircraft is an advanced technology demonstratorprototype not intended to be mass-produced.
Due to the lack of allocations, the Project 1.44/1.42 aircraft was not streamlined and never entered production.
By the late 1990s, it became obvious that existing fifth-generationfighter projects were becoming obsolete, that their production versionswould be inferior to the brand-new Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptorair-superiority fighter, and that the Air Force would receive suchwarplanes a decade too late.
In the early 2000s, the Russian government decided to develop anentirely new fifth-generation fighter. Sukhoi, Mikoyan and Yakovlevdesign bureaus boasting a reputation for their hard-hitting fighters offered several warplane versions.
The Sukhoi Aviation Corporation received project manager status andwas placed in charge of the new T-50 fifth-generation fighter program.
Various maiden flight and supply deadlines were discussed from thevery beginning. The T-50 was scheduled to perform its first flight in2008-2010. In late 2008, Colonel General Alexander Zelin, Commander ofthe Russian Air Force, said the plane would take off for the first timein August 2009.
In the summer of 2008, the officials involved said the T-50 designhad been approved and prototype aircraft blueprints sent to theKomsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KNAAPO) in Russia'sFar East where production will apparently be sited. KNAAPO is currentlybuilding three prototype T-50 fighters for subsequent tests, due tolast five to six years, while mass production will not get underwaybefore 2015.
Although T-50 specifications remain undisclosed, prototypes and thefirst production aircraft will be fitted with 117S (AL-41F1A) turbofanengines, a major upgrade of the AL-31F engine from Russian aircraft engine manufacturer NPO Saturn.
Consequently, the T-50 will be a heavy fighter with a take-offweight of more than 30 metric tons and will have the same dimensions asthe well-known Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. The Tikhomirov InstrumentEngineering Research Institute which had invented the Irbis radar forthe Su-35BM Flanker-E 4.5generation air-superiority/strike fighter iscurrently working on the T-50 radar.
It appears that the new fighter's radar and fire-control system will be developed on the basis of the Su-35BM's systems.
A search for foreign partners in the development and production ofthe fifth-generation aircraft has been caused by the desire to share avery high financial burden involved in it. The United States has optedfor this road in the F-35 aircraft program.
Apart from investing in the fifth-generation fighter program, Brazilcould provide Russia with state-of-the-art aviation technology.Notably, Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer manufactures EMB-312Tucano turboprop basic trainers and EMB-314 Super Tucano turbopropaircraft designed for light attack, counter-insurgency (COIN) and pilot-training missions.
Many analysts think both planes are especially adapted forlow-intensity conflicts and are just as popular as fighters. Quirepossibly, Russia will manufacture such planes using Braziliantechnology.

Russian military to buy 50 fifth-generation fighters after 2016

Russia's Defense Ministry will order at least 50 fifth-generation fighters from 2016, a senior official said on Thursday.
"At the first stage, there will be dozens of planes, more than 50,"said Vladimir Popovkin, deputy defense minister for arms procurement.
He was on hand as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin observed the test flight of a prototype fighter and later talked to the pilot, Sergei Bogdan, who said it was the fighter's 16th test flight and more would follow shortly.

Popovkin said that based on the outcome of initial tests, the Defense Ministry would purchase the first six to 10 aircraft after 2012.
He said the fighter will be superior to U.S. analogs.
"The requirements we are setting on this plane are well above those for the U.S. fifth-generation aircraft," he said.
Putin said the Russian fighter will be about three times as cheap as its foreign analogs.
The prime minister said 30 billion rubles (around $1 billion) had already been spent on the projectand another 30 billion would be required to complete it, after whichthe engine, weaponry and other components would be upgraded.
He said, factoring in modernization and upgrades, the fighter will have a service life of 30-35 years.
As Putin climbed into the cockpit of the plane, Bogdan began tellinghim about the aircraft's unique features, in particular the yoke thatwas very convenient, especially during overloads.
"I know, I have some flying experience," Putin said.
In 2000, then acting president Putin co-piloted a Sukhoi-27 Flankerfighter jet from Krasnodar to Chechnya's capital of Grozny ahead ofpresidential elections.
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.
Russia has been developing its newest fighter since the 1990s. Thecountry's top military officials have said the stealth fighter jet witha range of up to 5,500 km should enter service with the Air Force in 2015.
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.

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