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India's PAK-FA will be superior to the Russian T-50 and Chinese J-20

Russia's PAK FA Stealth Fighter: The US Air Force's Worst Nightmare? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Robert Farley)

Sukhoi PAK FA ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Rulexip) Source- The National Interest Author- Robert Farley The PAK FA has played the bugbear for Western air forces for nearly a decade, the terrifying Russian jet that will eat F-35s for breakfast. American aviation analysts in search of something, anything that might threaten U.S. air dominance settled on the PAK FA, a frankly evil looking jet that bore a very mild resemblance to the MiG-31 “Firefox” that Clint Eastwood made famous. Say what you will about the F-35, but Lockheed Martin has actually built and delivered one hundred and seventy one aircraft thus far.  The Russian Air Force, meanwhile, has yet to receive its first PAK FA.  In lieu of the PAK FA, Russia has continued to acquire generation 4.5 fighters (mostly of the Flanker family) as well as upgrading generation 4 fighters (including various Flankers, the MiG-29 Fulcrum, and the MiG-31 Foxhound). Sukhoi will likely never build the number of fighters

Why India needs to fast track the PAK-FA ( Source- Russia & India Report / Author- Rakesh Krishnan Simha)

Sukhoi PAK-FA ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Alex Beltyukov) Source- Russia & India Report Author- Rakesh Krishnan Simha With China having completed flight tests of its twin stealth fighters and commencing series production, India needs to show urgency in acquiring the PAK-FA stealth fighter. China’s J-20 jet has advanced to the eighth prototype and, after flight tests, is ready for regular production. The other stealth fighter, the comparatively smaller J-31, designed for export to customers such as Pakistan, is also ready to roll out. In its latest report to the US Congress, the US Department of Defence says these fifth-generation aircraft “could enter service as early as 2018” and warns that the new stealth jets could allow the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) to dominate regional skies. The Pentagon report of May 2016, titled ‘Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China’, says: “China seeks to develop t

FGFA may be armed with BrahMos cruise missiles ( Source- Russia & India Report / Sputnik)

Sukhoi T-50 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Alex Beltyukov) Source- Russia & India Report / Sputnik A supersonic BrahMos cruise missile may be installed on a Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) jointly developed by Russia and India, head of the Russian-Indian BrahMos Aerospace enterprise, Sudhir Mishra, said Monday. The FGFA has stealth capabilities and is based on the Russian T-50 prototype jet. The FGFA project came about following the signing of a Russian-Indian cooperation agreement on October 18, 2007. "We are presenting BrahMos to many Indian public and private defense companies, from some of them we get a technical job. We presented it also to developers of the FGFA — they asked to adjust the size of the missile, so it can be placed on board the aircraft. Such work is ongoing," Mishra told RIA Novosti during the exhibition Defexpo India 2016. He also said that four nations are negotiating the purchase of the supersonic BrahMos cruise

India and Russia Fail to Resolve Dispute Over Fifth Generation Fighter Jet ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Franz Stefan-Gady)

Sukhoi PAK-FA ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Dmitry Pichugin) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan-Gady During the annual India-Russia summit, which took place in late December 2015 in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to resolve an ongoing disagreement between the two countries over the future of a joint fifth generation fighter program. India and Russia in early 2007 signed an intergovernmental agreement to co-develop a fifth generation fighter–the Sukhol/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) or as it known in India, the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF). The aircraft will be a multi-role, single seat, twin-engine air superiority/deep air support fighter with stealth capabilities and is based on the Sukhoi PAK FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) T-50 prototype, currently undergoing flight tests in Russia. Ever since 2007, however, the  weapons program has experienced v

Why Russia chose India over China to develop T-50 stealth fighter ( Source- Want China Times)

Sukhoi PAK-FA ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons /  Alex Beltyukov) Source- Want China Times  While China is considered a key partner for Russia, Moscow is turning to India to jointly develop the T-50 fifth-generation stealth fighter to prevent Beijing from stealing its advanced technology, our sister paper Want Daily reports. China has had a reputation for stealing technology from Russia since the Cold War. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, China became one of the chief buyers of Russian-built Su-27 fighters and Russia allowed the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation to open up a production line to build the fighter for both the PLA Air Force and Navy, which was known as J-11. China subsequently acquired a license from Russia to upgrade the J-11 into the more advanced J-11B. However, China became a potential challenger in the export market for military aircraft when it began to sell the aircraft to other nations. To avoid Chinese engineers back-engineeri

Russia's PAK-FA Stealth Fighter vs. China's J-20: Who Wins? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Dave Majumdar)

Russian Sukhoi T-50 ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Alex Beltyukov) Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar Russia and China have recently moved closer together as they collaborate to limit U.S. influence around the globe. However, relations between the two great powers have not always been so cozy. Indeed, the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union even fought a brief undeclared border war in 1969, shattering the illusion of a monolithic Communist bloc. While China and post-Soviet Russia have recently been drawn together, there is always the possibility that in the future their interests may diverge. In the event of conflict, air power would play a key role. So how might Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fare against the Chinese Chengdu J-20? That would depend on the type of conflict. Indeed, as I have noted before, while the PAK-FA is definitely an air superiority fighter, it’s not clear that the J-20 is a fighter at all. If there was wa

America's F-22 Stealth Fighter vs. Russia's PAK-FA: Who Wins? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Dave Majumdar)

Image credits- Lockheed Martin Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar This year marks a decade since the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was declared operational with the U.S. Air Force. Billed by many as the most capable air superiority fighter ever built, the Raptor only recently proved its mettle in combat over Syria and Iraq about a year ago. But the jet wasn’t used to annihilate a Soviet air armada over the Fulda Gap or rip apart an advanced enemy integrated air defense system as its designers had envisioned. Instead, the Raptor has most been relegated to the role of a flying sensor platform. Nonetheless, the day is coming when the F-22 could face a foe that might have a chance of going toe-to-toe with it and winning—albeit a small one. Russia and China are hard at work developing the Chengdu J-20 and the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA. Of these two machines, the PAK-FA is probably the more serious challenger. Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has

India and Russia to Press on With Fifth-Generation Fighter Development ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Franz Stefan-Gady)

Sukhoi T-50 ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Alex Beltyukov) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan-Gady This week, the head of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) announced that a full R&D collaboration contract would be signed in 2015 with New Delhi for joint work on the derivative Indian version of the PAK FA T-50 fifth-generation fighter jet, the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF). The contract could be signed as early as July, as a follow-up to Indian Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia. Defense News reports that according to an unnamed source within the Indian Ministry of Defense (MOD), India is compromising on various points of conflict over the joint R&D program. Most interestingly, the draft agreement will include a fixed order of 154 PMFs, and include a compromise on work share, a firm commitment to the number of single- versus double-seat PMF (aka Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft) jets, and steps that specifically

Is Russia's Lethal PAK-FA Fighter Superior to America's F-22 and F-35? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Zachary Keck)

Sukhoi PAK-FA ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Alex Beltukov) Source- The National Interest Author- Zachary Keck Russia’s new fifth-generation fighter jet will be superior to its American counterparts in every way, a senior Russian military official has said. According to Russian state media outlets, Viktor Bondarev, Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief, said that the PAK FA will be able to outduel America’s F-22 and F-35 fifth generation fighter jets. Speaking of the PAK FA to reporters last week, Bondarev said that “It will be in no way worse than similar American planes such as F-22 and F-35. Rather, it will outperform them in almost all parameters.” He went on to explain that "the features given to it by its designers allow it to outperform all similar planes that already exist or will soon appear abroad." This includes its ability to fly at speeds surpassing Mach 2, however, Bondarev emphasized that other features will ultimatel

Russian 5th generation fighter to surpass US analogues — Air Force chief ( Source- Russia & India Report/ ITAR TASS)

Sukhoi T-50 ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Dmitry Pichugin) Source- Russia &India Report / ITAR TASS Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jets known as PAK FA aircraft will enter service in 2016 and their serial supplies will start from 2017, Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Viktor Bondarev said on Thursday. "The fifth-generation fighter jets will enter service from next year," Bondarev said. "We’re completing the aircraft tests and from 2017 they will be serially supplied," the Air Force chief said. Russia’s new fighter jet "will not be in any way inferior to US F-22 and F-35 fighters and will surpass them by all practical parameters," Bondarev said. The PAK FA will be a multifunctional plane designated to "deliver strikes against ground, air and sea targets," the Russian Air Force chief said. Russia’s new-generation plane has a speed of over Mach 2 but today "invisibility, armament and maneuv

Russia Ditches Plans for Super Advanced 5th Generation Fighter Jets ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Akhilesh Pillalamarri)

Sukhoi T-50 ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Dmitry Pichugin) Source- The National Interest Author- Akhilesh Pillalamarri The Russian military is scaling back requirements for the fifth generation T-50 (PAK FA) fighters to twelve planes, after initially planning for fifty-two. Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said that this was due to economic considerations. However, Borisov noted that the Defense Ministry reserves the right to determine the number of fifth generation fighters for purchase, so the initial plans may be corrected. “It would be better for us to have a reserve of PAK-FA and the possibility to move ahead in the future to using the 4+ fighters’ [Su-30 and Su-35] capabilities to the maximum,” Borisov said. In other words, Russia would make the most of its existing Sukhoi Su-35 capabilities, which are highly rated by experts. The United States is currently the only country with an Air Force that includes a fully operational fifth generati

What’s the Status of the Indian-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Jet? ( Source- The Diplomat/ Author- Franz-Stefan Gady)

SU T-50 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Alex Beltukov) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz-Stefan Gady India and Russia agreed in early 2007 to jointly develop a fifth generation fighter program. Ever since then, the Sukhol/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) or as it is called in India, the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF) project, has been plagued by delays, costs overrun, and unsteady technology  In 2014, a prototype of the plane even caught fire during a demonstration flight for technical evaluation, causing heated arguments between India and Russia. “What added to the controversy … was Russia’s refusal to share any details of this failure, to the extent that a technical evaluation team of the Indian Air Force that reportedly was present at the site was refused access to inspect the damaged platform,” Monika Chansoria, senior fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies think tank in New Delhi, was quoted as saying in a Defense News articl