Russia's fifth-generation fighter makes maiden flight
- Source: Xinhua
- [21:56 January 29 2010]
- Comments
A new Russian T-50 fighter lands at an airfield of the Sukhoi aircraft manufacturing plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur January 23, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Russia's fifth-generation fighter has successfully completed its maiden flight, planemaker Sukhoi said Friday.
The fifth-generation fighter, known as the PAK FA (Prospective Aircraft System of Frontline Aviation), took off from an airfield in the Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on Friday, Sukhoi spokeswoman Olga Kayukova said on state television.
"The flight lasted 47 minutes. All the tasks set for the first flight were conducted successfully," Kayukova was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
The new jet's stability and control were good, and all of its systems worked smoothly during the flight, she said.
Intensive test flights are expected to be performed near Moscow and in the Astrakhan region, Interfax reported.
"There is every reason to believe that the Russian fifth-generation fighter will start entering service in the Air Force from 2015 as planned," Interfax quoted an unnamed source familiar with the program as saying.
Sukhoi General Director Mikhail Pogosyan said he was confident that the new warplane could stand comparison with its western rivals.
"Sukhoi plans to further elaborate on the PAK FA program which will involve our Indian partners. I am strongly convinced that our joint project will excel its western rivals in cost-effectiveness, " Pogosyan said in a statement published on the company's website.
The new fighter will not only strengthen the defense power of the Russian and Indian Air Forces, but also establish a foothold in the global market, he said.
"The aircraft, together with upgraded fourth-generation fighters, will define the Russian Air Force potential for the next decades," Pogosyan said.
Alexei Fyodorov, president of the United Aircraft Corporation, Sukhoi's parent company, said Friday's test flight would help "stimulate" Russia's aircraft manufacturing sector.
"The flight opens up development prospects for Russia's aviation for the 21st century, or maybe even further," Fyodorov was quoted by Interfax as saying.
The PAK FA is Russia's only known fifth-generation warplane project. It is designed to rival the US-made F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter in active service.
