Posted on 06/29/2010 1:57:05 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Russia plans to offer its advanced fighter-jets at a cost far below those of its Western counterparts. Officials said Russia would offer fifth generation fighters for one-third of the cost of comparable Western aircraft. They said Russia was developing fighters that would be superior to current European and U.S. aircraft.
"It will be a machine superior to our main competitor, the F-22, in maneuverability, armament and range," Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.
On June 17, Putin toured a Russian aerospace facility that was developing and testing a fighter-jet prototype, designed to have a shelf life of up to 35 years. Officials said the unnamed aircraft completed 16 flight tests in a program costing a reported $1 billion.
Putin said the fighter-jet program would require another $1 billion investment. He said engineers were developing the engine, avionics and weapons for the aircraft.
Russia's Sukhoi has been working on a fifth-generation aircraft called Paka Fa. The prototype of the aircraft, called T-50, was designed to surpass the performance of the U.S.-origin F-22.
"The requirements we are setting on this plane are well above those for the U.S. fifth-generation aircraft," Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin said.
Officials said the program, begun in 1999, was meant to produce a stealth fighter with a range of up to 5,500 kilometers. They said Pak Fa, armed with advanced air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea missiles, would begin service in the Air Force in 2015.
"At the first stage, there will be dozens of planes, more than 50," Popovkin said.
(Excerpt) Read more at geostrategy-direct.com ...
Ping
Nice story...for morons!
I bet you did not know this.
Know what “Medvedev’s campaign for venture capital and high tech aid” http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2543530/posts
Or trolling for dollars…
I just read it.
We'll see if that's true or not, but you get what you pay for. The price of the F-22 included fifth generation electronics and software, stealthy radar absorbing and deflecting whatnot and all the R&D to make it happen.
The Russians and Indians have an impressive prototype and will have a very formidable machine once it's ready for prime time.
And, they won't have to build very many to overwhelm our handful of F-22s. (Gates and obama are a couple of amazing military geniuses, canceling the F-22.)
A “shelf life” of 35 years? Won’t the rubber seals, bushings, grommets and o-rings deteriorate long before that? Won’t the fuel go bad?
I see you haven't been involved in "procurement". The money is not in the original sale, but in the spare parts orders!....;^)
The spilled vodka and alcohol fumes from Russian maintenance crews will be really hard on those components.
No! These are the new "green" fighters! The are Flex-Fuel E-100s!...........
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