Posted on 04/13/2016 10:52:41 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
According to pictures released on the internet, Russia's Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA fighter aircraft started flight test campaign armed with air-to-surface weapons. These tests took place at the Gromov Flight Research Institute, located at the Zhukovsky Air Base.
Russia's PAK FA T-50-2 prototype fitted with two Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles (Credit: Alex S/russianplanes.net)
Pictures unveiled on the russianplanes website first showed the T-50-2 prototype fitted with Kh-31 anti-ship missiles. A second series of pictures unveiled a few days before show the same prototype aircraft performing a test flight armed with two Kh-31 anti-ship missiles. The Kh-31, also dubbed X-31 in Russia, is a Russian air-to-surface missile. It can reach a Mach 3.5 max speed, depending on variants. Its warhead is equipped with a 94kg HE shaped charge. The Kh-31 has an operational range of up to 110 km.
A few days later, the website released pictures showing the same aircraft fitted with 6 free fall bombs. The PAK FA previously had only performed flight tests with air-to-air missiles.
Russia's T-50 PAK FA is a fifth-generation fighter programme of the Russian Air Force. The T-50 prototype first flew on 29 January 2010 and the first production aircraft is slated for delivery to the Russian Air Force starting in late 2016 or early 2017. Yuri Borisov, Russia's deputy minister of defence for armaments stated in 2015 that the Air Force will slow PAK FA production and reduce its initial order of 150 aircraft to 12 jets due to the nation's deteriorating economy, along with the manufacturer's ability to produce the more complex aircraft.
The same T-50-2 prototype aircraft now armed with six unguided bombs
(Credit: Evgeny Volkov/russianplanes.net)
I’d love to see that thing in action.
For 1970's tech, it is.
Why do all or most of Russia’s aircraft look suspiciously like our prior model and in this case, the F-22?
“I’d love to see that thing in action.”
You may get your chance if Russia’s jet fighters keep buzzing our destroyers.
Its highly unlikely you will see one of these sent to buzz any foreign warship or aircraft at least for the next decade. You wouldn’t want your enemies to get a real close look (electronic surveillance) of your latest and greatest assets.
The recent buzzing of the USS Donald Cook involved SU-24s, which ceased production in 1993 — that means it would be older than most of the folks on the ship or even the pilots flying them!
Sorta like at one time everyone had planes similar to the the Bee Gee, then poof, that was gone and if you mention it around younger folks they say, "The band ? Don't you mean BeeGees? They had an airplane?"
Then again, if you can get the design work someone else has done already and start with that, sure, why start from scratch and try things that have been tried and rejected for good reasons? Lenin knew where to buy rope, everyone on the planet also knows how to get blueprints and research data, so it's really just another black market to a much greater extent than people think.
There are a lot of forgotten planes it seems. I remember seeing the Blue Angels fly Navy F11s and no one seems to remember that plane although it was a good looking plane and I guess in fleet service if the Angels flew it.
They went through a lot of different planes fast, or so it seems, back when I was a kid now it takes a decade to see much change other than refinements like the Super Hornet as opposed to the Hornet.
Thanks for the snapshot ! Saves me som digging around.
Plus, the announcer must have said ten times, The Supersonic F11, and hey, supersonic was beyond cool to all the kids.
At the end of 1916, the German Albatros dominated the skies above Europe, until the Brits introduced a new Sowpwith design
which then went Ancient Mariner on th e Albatros
The German response?
Um ... the GeeBee was very unstable, IIRC.
I was in Class 05-63 at Pensacola. At the time, the advanced students were flying F-11’s down in Texas.
In 1964 the Blues and the Thunderbirds appeared jointly at NAS Pensacola, flying F-11’s and F-105’s respectively.
Now I have to go research them both to see how faulty my memory is!
Looks like two yuge engines with wings. And a seat.
External - so much for stealth.
As you indicate - complete design straight from our F-22 blueprints and specs - freely donated to both the Russians and Chinese by our Marxist government......all dimensions exact to the nearest .001 inch. ......or .01 mm......
If so, we’re screwed. The F-35 is a POS. The AF should have stayed with the F-22.
The F4 was a very impressive aircraft.
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