Posted on 02/16/2010 12:27:14 AM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Russia and India will sign the first contract on the manufacturing of a fifth-generation jet fighter in late February-early March, a Russian defense industry official said Monday.
"We expect a contract on the first stage of design, specifically the development of a technical design concept, to be signed in late February-early March," Alexander Fomin, first deputy head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, said.
He added that Russia and India were currently "at an active phase of negotiations" on manufacturing fifth-generation fighters.
It was not entirely clear whether Fomin was referring to Russia's prototype fifth-generation fighter, which has already made two test flights, or a new project. Nor did he indicate exactly what role India would play.
Russia has been developing its newest fighter since the 1990s. The current prototype, known as the T-50, was designed by the Sukhoi design bureau and built at a plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia's Far East.
It will be delivered to the Russian Air Force from 2015 onwards.
Russian officials have already hailed the fighter as "a unique warplane" that combines the capabilities of an air superiority fighter and attack aircraft.
(Excerpt) Read more at air-attack.com ...
I think India’s interest is in the HAL FGFA which is the derivative from the PAK FA. As against PAK FA, HAL FGFA is a twin seater aircraft with added provisions for indigenous equipments like the BVR missile Astra.
True, in accordance with the IAF’s two-pilot standard for air superiority fighters, given that CAP missions can last as long as ~10 hours, so the workload can be split between a pilot and WSO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.