For the first time Sukhoi has demonstrated its new 5th generation jet fighter on a public airshow. The Russian Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 appeared on MAKS Airshow today to conduct a 10min flying display. The test plane still uses older engines based on the Su-35 without thrust vectoring. When finished, the final engine will feature full 3-D thrust vectoring along all three aircraft axes.
Video – MAKS Airshow Sukhoi PAK FA T-50
The aircraft’s maiden flight took place on 29 January 2010. On 14 March 2011, the aircraft achieved supersonic flight at a test range near Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Siberia. When fully developed, thet Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 is intended to be the successor to the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian inventory and to serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA being developed with India. As fifth generation jet fighter, it is designed to directly compete with the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
A fifth-generation jet fighter is a fighter aircraft classification for the currently most advanced generation of fighter aircraft. They are designed to incorporate numerous technological advancements over the class similarly dubbed fourth generation, including all-aspect stealth even when armed, Low Probability of Intercept Radar (LPIR), high-performance air frames, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements in order to achieve an advantage in situational awareness. The only currently combat-ready fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2005. Fifth generation aircraft are exceptionally expensive.