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Unverified pictures and video footage has begun to circulate on social media purporting to show a pair of Russian Su-57 fighters, also known as the PAK FA and T-50, touching down at the country's Khmeimim air base in Syria's Latakia province. The Kremlin has already used the Syrian conflict as an excuse to demonstrate new and advanced weaponry and even if this video turns out to not show operations in Syria, it is likely only a matter of time before the aircraft touch down in the country.

Russia’s new stealth fighter made an eyebrow-raising surprise appearance on June 5—soaring over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow ripped from Ukraine in early 2014. The T-50—Russia’s answer to the U.S. Air Force’s F-22—is far from war-ready. Indeed, the twin-engine, radar-evading warplane is suffering such serious design, quality-control, and financing problems that it might never enter frontline service in large numbers. But practical realities may very well be beside the point. The T-50’s flights over territory that once belonged to Russia’s bitter rival Ukraine sends an apparently powerful message, albeit one that doesn’t necessarily hold up to close scrutiny. After flying...

According to pictures released on the internet, Russia's Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA fighter aircraft started flight test campaign armed with air-to-surface weapons. These tests took place at the Gromov Flight Research Institute, located at the Zhukovsky Air Base. Russia's PAK FA T-50-2 prototype fitted with two Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles (Credit: Alex S/russianplanes.net) Pictures unveiled on the russianplanes website first showed the T-50-2 prototype fitted with Kh-31 anti-ship missiles. A second series of pictures unveiled a few days before show the same prototype aircraft performing a test flight armed with two Kh-31 anti-ship missiles. The Kh-31, also dubbed X-31 in Russia,...

Just a short time ago, Russia planned to have 52 advanced T-50 stealth fighters by the end of the decade. At least, that was the plan. Now the T-50 program appears to be in serious trouble, and Russia may cut back the fighters to a fraction of the planned strength. The first sign something was very wrong appeared last month. On March 24. Yuri Borisov, RussiaÂ’s deputy defense minister for armaments, told theKommersant newspaper that the military is drastically cutting its number of T-50s. Instead of 52 stealth fighters, Russia will build merely 12 of them. ThatÂ’s hardly anything. The...

South Korea’s plan to export its T-50 trainer jets to Uzbekistan has met the opposition of the United States. An official at the Korea Aerospace Industries, the producer of the T-50, said on Saturday that Uzbekistan wants to import T-50 trainer jets, but Washington voiced opposition to Seoul’s exports of the aircraft citing its diplomatic policy. The official, however, said that the export plan did not completely break down, adding the Uzbek government is persuading the U.S. government on the matter. T-50 is South Korea’s first homegrown supersonic trainer jet, but avionics equipment, engines and other core components were imported...

Looking to cut costs and prune military imports, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has halved its demand for Russian-built fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). It now wants just three squadrons of the fighter jets which are to be inducted into the Russian Air Force in 2016. Sources say the IAF has scaled down its needs and now indicated that just three squadrons (around 18 planes in each), besides a few more for training of the pilots, will be enough for now. This works out to be 65 planes, almost half from the earlier projection of 127 FGFAs to be jointly...

Russia may be coming to the realization that developing a high-tech weapon system is not the same as fielding it en masse, or even in relatively limited numbers. This appears to be the case for both the T-14 “Armata” tank, the T-50 5th generation fighter, and signs are possibly the PAK-DA next generation bomber. The T-14 has been Russia’s most celebrated new weapon system as of late. Regardless of its capability (though it’s by no means a “silver bullet” weapon system), in order to be really effective it needs to be fielded in relevant numbers. Originally the idea was to...

An active defense system developed for Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 jetfighter is also able to neutralize enemy planes’ stealth capability, RIA Novosti reported Friday, citing the press service of the Himalaya system’s designers, the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern [KRET]. The Sukhoi PAK FA fighter jet, also known as T-50, is ready to go into production next year, and boasts innovative technology which renders the pilot one part of the plane’s control system. “The PAK FA is already to some degree a flying robot, where the aviator fulfils the function not only of pilot, but is actually one of the constituent parts of...

The Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team plans to take part in an air show next month in China's Guangdong Province, but the U.S. is trying to block the move citing the risk of exposing classified technology. The Black Eagles use T-50 trainer jets developed by Korea Aerospace Industries with technological support from Lockheed Martin. Korea needs U.S. approval in order to export the T-50 trainers and to fly the aircraft into “hostile” territories. A government source on Wednesday said the Black Eagles "have been preparing for some time to take part in the Zuhai Air Show next month, but...

“If they get a chance to really look at the F35, they would want it," Laird said. "The Indians have requested 3 times to talk to people about the F-35B, which is the true revolutionary aircraft -- and the administration never answered the mail, they've blown them off, it's typical of the Obama administration. We love our allies except if you want anything."

Despite initial high expectations, the Indian Air Force appears to be souring on a joint development deal with Russia for a new fifth-generation fighter jet, according to the Business Standard, a major Indian business publication. The Russian prototype is "unreliable, its radar inadequate, its stealth features badly engineered,” said Indian Air Force Deputy Air Marshall S Sukumar at a Jan. 15 meeting,

Russia’s new T-50 stealth fighter is fast, maneuverable, heavily-armed and hard to detect on radar. In theory. But according to Indian air force officials, in practice the Sukhoi-made stealth jet is also too expensive, poorly engineered and powered by old and unreliable engines. The Indians’ complaints illustrate the yawning gulf between stealth warplane design and the actual production of radar-evading jets. In other words, it’s one thing to sketch an advanced warplane on paper. It’s quite another to build one and get it to work.

MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian military delegation about to visit Brazil will offer joint development of a fifth-generation combat aircraft “of the type” of its own most newest fighter to Brazilian defense officials, a member of the delegation told RIA Novosti Monday. The proposal appears to be in support of an unsolicited offer by Russia’s combat aircraft maker Sukhoi of its Su-35 fighter, that has been struck off Brazil’s shortlist for its air force’s F-X2 tender for the purchase of 36 fighter jets worth $4 billion. Russia is still hoping to sell the Su-35s or similar aircraft...

Russian T-50 Fighter Jet to Start State Flight Test in 2014 MOSCOW, April 23 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will start state flight tests of its fifth-generation T-50 fighter jet in 2014, United Aircraft Corporation's President Mikhail Pogosyan told reporters on Tuesday. “In 2013 we are expected to wrap up its preliminary tests and start operational testing. In 2014, we are planning to start official state tests,” Pogosyan said on Tuesday, adding "the first stage of the state trials should be complete by 2015." The test program involves six prototype airframes, including four flying, one static and one systems test airframe....

India to Cut Stealth Fighter Order by Third India is cutting its order for a fifth-generation stealth fighter being developed jointly with Russia by a third, India's Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne told India Strategic. India's Hindustan Aeronatics Limited (HAL) is to build the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), a derivative of the Sukhoi T-50, in India. The two nations signed a 50/50 joint venture to build the aircraft in December 2011. Russia is currently testing a handful of prototypes of the T-50 aircraft, which is due to enter service with the Russian Air Force after 2017. India...

NEW DELHI: India's quest for a futuristic stealth fifth-generation fighter, which will see the country spend around $35 billion over the next 20 years in its biggest-ever defence project, has zoomed into the decisive phase now. India and Russia are getting all set to ink the full and final design or R&D phase contract for the 5th Gen fighter by this year-end or early-2013, say sources. It will again underline India's firm rejection of the US offer of its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) or the F-35 'Lightning-II'. Ahead of the R&D contract, under which India wants to induct over 200...

Visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday said there is still a chance that Israel could buy Korean-made T-50 supersonic trainer jets. Last month, Israel decided on the Italian-made M-346 trainer jet that had been in competition with Korea's T-50 in a US$1 billion acquisition bid. But U.S.-based Defense News recently reported that the M-346 deal could be scrapped. Italy had agreed to buy $1 billion worth of Israeli-made surveillance planes and spy satellites in return, but its fiscal crisis apparently means it might be unable to keep up its end of the deal. Lieberman told reporters trainer jet...

Israel to buy Italy's M-346 jet trainer for $1b S. Korea threatens to cancel deals because Israel did not choose its T-50 Golden Eagle. The Ministry of Defense has decided to buy the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 jet trainer for the Israel Air Force, rather than South Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle, jointly developed by Korean Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) and Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LMT). The ministry notified the companies of its decision, after the Air Force decided that it preferred the M-346 on the grounds that its performance was better than the T-50. The deal is worth around $1 billion....

South Korea threatens to cancel all defense deals with Israel South Korea threat comes in response to fear that Israel Air Force has decided to purchase a new training plane from rival Italy. By Amos Harel The purchase of the Israel Air Force's new training plane is causing serious diplomatic tension between Israel and South Korea: Fearing that Israel has already decided on a rival plane made in Italy, the Koreans are now threatening in return to cancel all their deals for purchasing Israeli defense systems. In recent years, the South Koreans have purchased an average of $280 million a...

Russian stealth fighter aborts takeoff at air show By MIKHAIL METZEL, Associated Press – 1 hour ago ZHUKOVSKY, Russia (AP) — Russia's first stealth fighter jet had to abort a takeoff at Moscow's International Aviation and Space Show on Sunday because of what officials said was a malfunction in the right engine. The T-50 did not leave the runway and was slowed by a brake parachute. The twin-engined jet was traveling at 60 miles per hour (100 kph) when the pilot decided to abort takeoff because of a right engine malfunction, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a representative...