Fifth-generation fighter to be developed in joint project

20:26 | 21/ 04/ 2009

MOSCOW. (Ilya Kramnik, RIA Novosti military commentator) – The
development of the fifth-generation jet fighter is one of the most
widely discussed issues in Russia’s military.
What’s more, with its potential involvement in developing the jet
fighter, India, one of Russia’s long-standing partners in military
technical cooperation, confirms its interest in Russia’s future
project.
The new jet fighter is being developed under the PAK FA (Prospective
(promising) Aircraft System of the Frontline Aviation) program to
replace fourth-generation models now in service in Russian and Indian
air forces.
The Soviet Union launched fifth-generation fighter programs in the
1980s. By the mid-1990s, the Mikoyan Design Bureau developed the
Project 1.44 warplane, also known as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG MFI. The
Sukhoi Design Bureau came up with the S-37 Berkut experimental
supersonic forward swept-wing jet fighter. The S-37 aircraft was an
advanced technology demonstration prototype not intended to be
mass-produced as a fighter. However, due to the lack of funding, the
Project 1.44 aircraft was not streamlined and never entered production
either.
By the late 1990s, it became apparent that existing fifth-generation
fighter projects were becoming obsolete, that their production
versions would be inferior to the brand new American F-22 Raptor air
superiority fighter, and that even if finalized the air force would
receive such warplanes a decade too late.
As a result, in the early 2000s, the Russian Government made decision
to develop an entirely new fifth-generation fighter. The Sukhoi,
Mikoyan and Yakovlev Design Bureaus, all renowned for their fighters,
offered several warplane versions.
The project was eventually entrusted to Sukhoi, which refers to it
internally as the T-50.
Various maiden flight and supply deadlines were discussed from the
very beginning. The T-50 was eventually scheduled to perform its first
flight somewhere between 2008, the commander of the Russian air force
announced that the plane would first take off in August 2009.
Mikhail Pogosyan, head of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, confirmed the
information. "The progress that has been made by now suggests that we
can begin the flight tests within one year," Mr Pogosyan said. Several
versions of the aircraft are being discussed, including a two-seater
model, and a carrier-based aircraft.
In the summer of 2008, officials said the T-50 design had been
approved and prototype aircraft blueprints sent to the
Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft-building plant (KNAAPO) in Russia’s Far
East, where jet fighters will be produced. The plant is currently
building three prototype T-50 fighters for future tests, due to last
five to six years, while mass production will not get underway before
2015.
Although T-50 specifications have not been disclosed, it is known that
prototypes and the first production aircraft will be fitted with 117S
(upgraded AL-31) turbofan engines from Russian aircraft engine
manufacturer Saturn. As a result, the T-50 will be a heavy fighter
with a takeoff weight of over 30 metric tons and will have the same
dimensions as the well-known Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. The Tikhomirov
Institute of Instrument Design, which had developed the Irbis radar
for the Su-35BM Flanker, is now working on the T-50 radar. The new
fighter’s radar and fire-control system will be designs on the basis
of the Su-35BM’s systems.
India is reportedly more interested in the two-seater version, while
Russia, with its developed ground and air fight control system, plans
to concentrate on the one-seater fighter. There is a possibility that
the Indian version of the Russian fighter will be lighter and smaller,
and thus cheaper.
There have been reports in the past few months about the new fighter’s
exterior design. Judging by photographs of the prototype available
online, the T-50 will resemble the American F-22, a fact easily
explained by similar parameters on their technical
specifications. However, it is yet undecided as a prototype.
As of now, one can only make general conclusions on what kind of a
machine it will be, based on the known parameters of their technical
specifications. The new fighter should be:
– multifunctional – capable of successfully hitting air, ground and
water targets alike, including small and moving ones, in any weather
or time of the day, against an enemy equipped with high-precision
weapons;
– super-maneuverable – capable of performing controlled flight at low
velocity and large angle of attack;
– largely undetectable by optical, infrared or radio radars; and
– capable of taking off and landing on short runways.
However, the term "fifth-generation" covers more than just the
fighters. It also embodies a whole range of equipment to ensure
advanced combat capabilities, including weapons, radio-electronic
equipment, ground- and air-based supply and control systems.
These elements are also under development, although not all projects
are proceeding with equal speed and success. Nevertheless, they are
all crucial to the program as a whole. Without them, the new fighter
will remain a very expensive toy incapable of boosting the combat
capabilities of the air force.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not
necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.