Article Posted on : - Jul 23, 2010

FARNBOROUGH (BNS): Russia's Sukhoi Company has completed preliminary on-land and in-flight activities for three PAK FA fifth-generation fighter aircraft prototypes which are now ready for a complete flight trials programme.

“These prototypes were used for testbed strength tests, on-land optimization of fuel systems and other work towards flight trials,” Director General of Sukhoi, Mikhail Pogosyan, said during the Farnborough International Airshow-2010 in UK.

“The flying prototype has made 16 flights. Today, the optimization of aircraft and its safety systems enables execution of a complete program of flight trials,” the Sukhoi Chief said.

The new supersonic aircraft began its first test trial on January 29, 2010.

The acceptance trials of the flying prototype were fully completed in late March. In April, the first flying prototype and the avionics testbed used for systems optimization before flight trials were delivered to the flying test centre in Zhukovsky near Moscow.

Upon completion of the required on-bed preliminary tests of the systems, including the static example’s strength testing, on-land optimization of the avionics testbed and of the flying prototype, the aircraft started preliminary tests on April 29, the company said.

It is planned to complete all tests of the PAK FA airframe in 2011-2012, and to sign a contract in 2013 for a pilot lot of ten aircraft for testing the model’s entire weapons suite, Sukhoi said.