Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA - Russia Goes Stealth
The all-new Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA jet fighter prototype finally made its first trip, a good 47 minutes test flight into Mother Russia's cold January winter, 2010.
The new Sukhoi is Russia’s first real step in the stealth domain. Actually, it's a leap in Russian stealth technology due to heavily capitalizing on the American F-22 Raptor, which is obvious in the aircraft's aerodynamics and design. However, the T-50’s design was also influenced by the SU-47 Berkut’s inverted-wings, in addition to technology from the MiG Project 1.44.
India is Russia’s partner in developing this fifth-generation Suhkoi-based fighter. The T-50 is expected to enter service around 2013, while there are other expectations that this date might be pushed to 2015.
The new aircraft is meant to compete with the American Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor and the American Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter. However, the F-35 has the edge of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Although doubted by Western spectators, the T-50 is described by its developers as having a very low radar cross section (RCS) figure, outstanding maneuverability, long-range supersonic speeds, advanced protective capabilities, phased-array antenna radar, and communication capabilities that allows real-time data exchange with ground-based control systems and within the flight group. It is still not clear whether thrust vectoring will be added to this aircraft or not.
Besides capabilities and features, it is very much expected that the new Sukhoi be a much cheaper aircraft than its rivals, making it a tough economic competitor.
The following YouTube link is the Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA’s first flight video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S67zfmEqGxQ&feature=related
Regards,
Hani
