The empire strikes back (really?), New russian Suhoi T-50 PAK FA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YCQsN8O_Q4...player_embedded

http://video.yandex.ru/users/russianarms/v...ssianarms&cid=2

http://sukhoi.org/img/gallery/wallpaper/1_...29_01_10_30.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_PAK_FA

I just find the info, on another site, that the new russian 5-th generetion fighter jet make its first fly. For me, it looks have few new stuff and with a combination betwen older SU 27 series (but with new vectorized engines) and F 22 and F 23, but it doesnt look as a futuristic stealth design to me. Not sure about avionics, but probably it have a very good maneuvrability, as usual for russian planes so not sure if it really catche the F 22 as let said MIG 29 and Su 27 was comparable with american previous F 15/16/18.

This post has been edited by udar on January 29, 2010 10:03 am

It looks more like F-23.
What i saw: smaller tail fins, a new wing. If one will say it is just a Raptorinski, it is almost the truth.
If India will really fund the production, and buy allot, we will have a new player on the fighters market.

The question is how stealth is it really. Russians have no previous experience in this domain. My guess is that it is not much stealthier than Eurofighter, for example.

A very interesting article about the new plane apeared yesterday in russian dailly "Komersant"It seems t 50 is still very far from what it is intended.It lacks the 5th generation engines (will be ready in 2-3 years),the radar is not performant enough,etc,etc.
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1313623
When i'll have time,i'll translate the most relevant portions.

Putin declared after the first flight that "'designers have much to work' on the fighter's weapon and engine".
I'm sure that at this flight T-50 did not have an AESA radar.
Anyway, first step is done. He's alive!
Also, Putin described this program as 'first priority military program'.

We'll see in near future.
As ussually, Russian army is weaker like she want's to be, but stronger like others like to see.
The last conflict, in August 2008, proven these facts. I ask to myself, how could be this plane a really weapon if the Russian pilots practice just 50 hours flyng by year, comparative with NATO pilots (150 hours average) or American ones (250 hours/year). The lasts are flyng in combat missions, either.

Well, not so "near" that future...
BTW, I guess there are Soviet pilots who practise more than 50 hours per year, regardless how weak the funding is!

Well, i think russians need to hurry up a little, americans would probably test in about the same time a combat (strike) unmaned plane with stealth capabilities making another step ahead

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defen...b0-d1d8369806c0

Don't count on it; there are budget problems here too.

evidence: F-22 program DROPPED (historic first!)

F-35 strike fighter program being "restructured" (announced today)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/us/polit...gon.html?ref=us

So, the only ones who are doing well are Thypoon and Gripen (let`s see how the Gripen NG will do).

This post has been edited by Hadrian on February 03, 2010 08:28 pm

Aparently the chinese come quickly from behind, triyng to enter in the small and select club of "fifth generation" planes, with their (suposedly called) J-20. Pictures show up on internet, but not sure how realistic are





If they are real, i think not far from now chinese will start to surpass (in military domain), slowly, the russians, backed by their much bigger economy

It's called J-XX or J-14 and it seems it's going to be introduced after 2015...
PS: why the snowflakes on the pics? Google J-XX and get better pics!

This post has been edited by MMM on December 29, 2010 08:23 am

The snowflakes are from the forum... a Christmas trademark I guess. I think they are rather funny; on the other hand, I think it is possible for you to revert the settings to the "classical" and serious forum skin.

Well, if the indians are to receive PAK-FA, the chinese need to counteract with something. This might explain the sudden apparition of the pictures...

Anyway, I think the engines are russian ones, taken from the Su-30 MKK, and the radar also a russian PESA.

I read on another forum that are at least rumors in Russia that PAK FA have some really big problems, with flutter at some speeds and so on, and is more a failure then a succes, and there is an alternative project too to be work on.

However, knowing how devious russians are, it might be just a kind of psichological war, to make the rivals sleep better, and the plane to be OK in fact. Because if not, it is quite bad for them, first sign that China rise to surpass them. And this when americans already talk about the sixth generation fighter, and big companies there come with possible projects