Free Republic

A new report by Defense News states that India is extremely unhappy with Russia's supposed 5th generation fighter—better known as the T-50, or by its new production name the Su-57—that will act as the base for the sputtering FGFA cooperative fighter program between the two countries. The news comes after years of squabbling over the program, usually characterized by credible reports of the Indian Air Force's dismay with the qualities of the Russian aircraft. Now it seems as if the Indians want out of the program—which aimed for at least a 108 airframe production run—once and for all. Such a...

Despite initial high expectations, the Indian Air Force appears to be souring on a joint development deal with Russia for a new fifth-generation fighter jet, according to the Business Standard, a major Indian business publication. The Russian prototype is "unreliable, its radar inadequate, its stealth features badly engineered,” said Indian Air Force Deputy Air Marshall S Sukumar at a Jan. 15 meeting,

Officials here said the Russian Defense Ministry has been overseeing development of a new fighter-jet for the Air Force. They said the platform marked a fifth-generation combat aircraft titled T-50 and designed for long-range attack missions. "Flight tests of the fifth-generation fighter are continuing successfully," Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said. In a statement on April 20, Putin expressed satisfaction with flight-tests of the T-50. The fighter-jet completed its maiden flight, which lasted 47 minutes, in January 2010. The T-50 has been developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau in a project launched in 2002. In mid-2009, officials said, the Defense...