[**Caption for possible screen capture: The Sukhoi PAK-FA test bed on its inaugural flight. citation per multimedia….]
[If not, Getty images: 85752338. Caption: Sukhoi's other latest projects, the “Superjet” 100 and the most advanced “Flanker” design, the Su-35.]
Russia: Unveiling Jet Fighter 5.0
[Teaser:] The flight of the PAK-FA marks the first flying test bed of a stealth fighter jet outside of the United States.
Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi announced Jan. 29 the first flight of the PAK-FA, its latest design.A <link nid="110870">fifth-generation configuration</link>, the prototype incorporates stealth characteristics, advanced avionics and other state-of-the-art jet-fighter features. While it remains in a very preliminary stage of development, the design is significant because it means that Russia now has a fifth-generation test bed in the air.
Indeed, the Jan. 29 flight marks the first flying test bed of a stealth fighter outside of the United States. The Soviets historically eschewed stealth technology for a variety of reasons: Their system favored quantity over quality, they were concerned about efficient mass production and quality assurance challenges and they <link nid="72650">believed in the long-term supremacy of radar and land-based air defenses</link>. Sukhoi’s attempt with stealth technology -- one that Russian engineers have limited experience working with -- will thus present numerous challenges, and the characteristics of the final product remain to be seen.
The airframe itself evinces considerable influence from the successful Sukhoi “Flanker” design dating back to the Su-27. Hence, important questions arise, including the extent to which the new design is superficially imposed over an Su-35 airframe (the latest model of the Flanker); the extent to which truly fifth-generation-quality technology will actually be included; and the extent to which the subsystems can be integrated (which was a significant challenge in the development of the American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II). In praising the flight, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pointed out that the engines remained a particularly challenge area.
In short, other than the very noteworthy rollout of what appears to be a next-generation airframe, little “under the hood” was revealed, and its radar cross section remains unclear. Nevertheless, the PAK-FA is a significant development and warrants considerable scrutiny as it moves forward.
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