Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet makes maiden flight

MOSCOW - Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet, a joint venture with India, made its maiden flight for 45 minutes Friday in the country’s far east, Russian television reported.

The test flight of the stealth fighter which was scheduled for Thursday was postponed for 24 hours due to bad weather conditions in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

“The plane showed a superb performance. It has met all our expectations for the maiden flight,” said Olga Kayukova, a spokesperson for the Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer.

Russia has been developing fighter jets since the 1990s. The country’s top military officials earlier said the stealth fighter aircraft, with a range of up to 5,500 km, would enter service with the Air Force in 2015.

The Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) is being developed under Sukhoi’s PAK FA project. The prototype named as T-50 is designed to compete with the US F-22 Raptor, so far the world’s only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II.

India, which has a long history of defence relations with Moscow, remains Russia’s sole partner in the project.

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has reportedly been seeking a 25 percent share in design and development of the project.

It has also sought to modify Sukhoi’s single-seat prototype into the twin-seat fighter required by the Indian Air Force.

–RIA Novosti