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| Science & Technology |
| Russia Tests New Stealth Fighter Jet |
| 2010-01-29 |
| MOSCOW A stealth jet fighter intended to match the latest U.S. design made its maiden flight in Russia on Friday, an important step in the country's efforts to modernize its aging Soviet-era arsenals. The Sukhoi T-50 prototype took to the skies for a 45-minute flight from an airfield at the company's production plant in the Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on Friday, Sukhoi spokesman Alexei Paveshchenko told The Associated Press. Russian officials have spent two decades trying to build the so-called fifth-generation fighter and hope the T-50 can challenge the U.S. F-22 Raptor, which first flew in 1997. The Russian project has been veiled in secrecy and no pictures of it had been released before the maiden flight. If the prototype bearing a close resemblance to the Raptor goes into production, it will be the first major new aircraft design built in post-Soviet Russia. Officials have expressed hope that the T-50 will enter service in 2015. A Sukhoi statement quoted test pilot Sergei Bogdan as saying the craft was "easy and comfortable to pilot." Friday's successful test of the plane, developed in partnership with India, comes as a relief to Russian government officials. A series of failures on high-profile weapons projects has blighted Russia's attempts to modernize its rusting arsenals. But observers said it was early to celebrate. Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, said the T-50 is running on old engines, and the only major technological breakthrough was designing the airframe making the jet more difficult for radars to spot, in keeping with its U.S. counterpart. The specifications and design of Russia's new fighter have keep secret, and Friday's statement offered few details. Aviation officials have said the new craft will meet the fifth-generation requirements, including a supersonic cruising speed. Sukhoi said in a statement that the plane has advanced stealth capabilities. "This allows a significant increase in military effectiveness," the company's statement said. Advanced control systems help fly the aircraft and "allow the pilot to concentrate on tactical tasks," it added. Russian news agencies reported the highly maneuverable plane has a 3,400-mile range. The Raptor has a range of about 2,960 kilometers 1,850 miles, according to official U.S. data. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #8 I was thinking it looks more like an F-35 |
| Posted by: Kelly 2010-01-29 19:46 |
| #7 Photo source is Sukhoi. I'm not photo interpreter, but the photo looks like it may have been photoshopped, especially the engine intakes. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-01-29 12:37 |
| #6 Slideshow of Russian Áåç ïåðåâîäà Wantabe |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2010-01-29 12:31 |
| #5 It's hard to tell from the angle of the photo whether there's a serpentine duct in there or not. From that angle, though, it looks kinda like an F-23. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2010-01-29 12:17 |
| #4 Usually, so I've heard, it's the engine tech area the Russian's have the most problem with. If the engines aren't also more efficient, then range is limited and may throw out IR like a blow torch. |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2010-01-29 09:56 |
| #3 First the shape, then the materials. A hi-res image (1.3MB). |
| Posted by: ed 2010-01-29 08:38 |
| #2 More importantly, WHAT is it made of? One of the reasons the US was never overly worried about the Soviets getting a hold of an F117 was that they didn't have the technology to replicate the materials it was made of. Has that changed? |
| Posted by: AllahHateMe 2010-01-29 08:11 |
| #1 AviationWeek Doesn't look very stealthy. Looks like an SU-30 with a nose and boob job. SU-30 type straight line from intakes to engines. Partially filled the center line between the engines for a missile bay. Still looks like a radar trap. Slight chines on the nose cone. Not impressed. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-01-29 07:55 |
