Article Posted on : - Oct 28, 2010

An artistic conception of the PAK FA fighter.

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia is mulling to sign an agreement with India on the preliminary design of the joint fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) during President Dmitry Medvedev’s New Delhi visit in December.

“An agreement with India on the pre-design of the PAK FA will be signed in December,” Alexei Fyodorov, head of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

India is partnering with Russia for the joint development of the new stealth fighter aircraft, designated PAK FA.

The two countries had inked an intergovernmental agreement in 2007 under which the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was identified as the nodal agency in the project. Earlier in 2010, Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and HAL formally agreed to jointly develop the fighter aircraft.

The two sides have agreed to produce both single-seat and double-seat variants of the warplane.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) intends to acquire 50 single-seat and 200 two-seat fighters beginning from 2016.

The new aircraft for India is likely to be based on Russia’s T-50 prototype fifth-generation fighter which is already under development and undergoing flight trials.

Designed to fly at supersonic speed, the new fifth-gen fighter aircraft will compete with US’s F-22 Raptor fighters.

The Russian Air Force plans to induct the new fighters by 2015.