Article Posted on : - May 04, 2010

The PAK FA fighter during a previous flight test. A file photo

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia's fifth-generation fighter aircraft PAK FA has undergone a fresh round of flight test near here last week.

The combat aircraft took to the skies from the Zhukovsky air base in southeast of Moscow on April 29, 2010, Arms-Tass reported. The aircraft was piloted by Sergey Bogdan, it said.

The PAK FA aircraft entered flight testing on January 29, 2010, by making its maiden flight over the sky of Komsomolsk-on-Amur city for nearly 45 minutes.

The aircraft since then has undergone a series of flight tests to validate its prowess.

The supersonic PAK FA with a range of 5,500 km is expected to enter service with the Russian Air Force in 2015. India, which is a partner in the project, intends to acquire 50 such fighters for its air force.

The aircraft, manufactured by Sukhoi Corporation, has been designed to compete with the US' F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightening-II fifth-generation fighters.

The PAK FA has a take-off weight exceeding 30 tons. It has widely spread engines plus two fins and its exteriors have been designed by using stealth technology.

The aircraft is equipped with the latest avionics, implementing functions of electronic 'autopilot', and state-of-the-art radar with a phase-locked antenna array. It also has an in-flight fuelling capability.