Posted on 01/18/2006 7:35:29 AM PST by Srirangan
Moscow: Russia's fifth-generation fighter plane will be ready in 2007, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Vladimir Mikhailov said Tuesday.
"Work to build the fifth-generation plane is going according to schedule," he said.
Mikhailov said, however, that the project had encountered some financial problems after civilian aircraft were produced using the money allocated in the budget for the fighter planes.
"Clearly, the development of aviation technology will depend on specific military and economic conditions, determining the progress of reform in the Russian armed forces and the country's aircraft construction industry. However, Russia will continue to be a leading aircraft-building power," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at india-defence.com ...
I think this plane has been shelved.
LOL the Pak-FA looks a Raptor rip off just like they rip off everything else.
Hey Pukin Dog!
This is a bit OT, but are you still sure the F-35 is going to be cancelled?
I think you may be right that the F-35 will be cut because I read a few weeks ago that the Pentagon was cancelling one of the engines that would be used for the F-35.
Mikhailov said, however, that the project had encountered some financial problems after civilian aircraft were produced using the money allocated in the budget for the fighter planes.
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Hmm... so Russia passenger plane production is socialized? Boeing and Airbus need not worry. :)
Let us not forget the super cavitating torpedo - as I understand it, this lovely is capable of "flying" through the water at airborne missile like speeds, drastically reducing countermeasure and reaction/response time.
There are also some reports from the Indians that:
1) The canard wing has been scrapped in favor of a standard planform to reduce production costs/complexity.
2) The date that the Russians were originally using for production was 2009, not 2007.
3) The Russians were also talking about possible funding constraints in this project. (Priorities went to commercial aircraft development.)
Sounds to me like the good General has got himself a nifty new fighter that got its budget chopped, so he's shopping it around to the Indians to get THEM to "build it under license". (Actually to fund and finish up the project for the Reds.)
Looks like a hot ride, but the size (70,000+ lb), lack of aerial refuel and rest of the configuration shown in your picture would limit the bird to VERY long, well-maintained runways and a high speed/high altitude/maybe 200 mile radius interceptor role.
How it would do as a dogfighter with the standard swept wing and all that weight............
Sounds like it is a pig!
"I was off my my predicted dates, but not on the ultimate outcome for that aircraft."
Or, in English, you mean that our Glorious Congresscriters want to milk the weapons program for all the pork it's worth before the DoD takes the plane off of life support? ;)
Isn't it possible that it has an retractable internal probe that stores flush with the skin, and then pops out for pit stops? The frog version of the Jaguar seems to have one that is barely visible. Maybe we ain't the only guys the Russkis steal from.
That's an Su-34, it's a 4th generation Strike Fighter. A 2 seat (side by side configuration) conversion of the Su-27.
More reverse engineering by the Russians.
Does it haved an "OH CRAP" button for when a Raptor gets a lock on it.
No, I wouldn't call it a pig.
Don't think I'd like to drive one if I was in a serious dispute with an F-22, though. (Not really sure about my odds against a Hornet, either, and the 'Bug is a twenty-year-old design.)
Lacking any better information, for now I'll call it Lima Echo Tango = Large, expensive target.
man, could they have ripped off the raptor just a little bit more?
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