Support The Moscow Times!

New Sukhoi Fighter to Fly This Week

Sukhoi will test-fly by the end of January a new “fifth generation” jet fighter that aims to challenge the United States for technical superiority, an aviation industry source said Wednesday.

“Ground testing of the airplane was successful. It’s technologically ready for the first test flights, which will be held in the next two or three days, depending on the weather,” a source in Komsomolsk-on-Amur told Interfax on Wednesday.

The plane, known as the PAK FA, is being tested at an airfield in the far eastern city, the source said.

The warplane is seen as Moscow’s challenge to the U.S.-built Raptor. The F-22 Raptor stealth fighter first flew in 1997. Fifth-generation jets are invisible to radar, have advanced onboard flight and weapons control systems and can cruise at supersonic speeds.

Sukhoi is Russia’s largest exporter of military planes, accounts for a quarter of Russia’s annual arms sales and has a portfolio of foreign orders worth billions of dollars. India is its biggest client.

A Sukhoi spokesman told Reuters that the plane would fly “in the near future.”

Government and industry officials had said the fighter would make its first flight in 2009.

Analysts have said it could be at least a decade between the first flight of the Russian prototype and the start of commercial production.

(Reuters,MT)

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more