Now it's getting scary: they have TWO of them.

broncazonk · by **broncazonk** » 20 Mar 2011, 00:21

Sukhoi adds second PAK FA prototype to flight test program

Moscow, March 3. Today the first flight of the 2nd prototype of the fifth generation aviation complex (PAK FA) took place in Komsomolsk - on - Amur. The plane was piloted by distinguished test pilot of the Russian Federation Sergey Bogdan. The aircraft spent in the air 44 minutes and landed on the factory airfield runway. The flight was successful, in full accordance with the flight plan. Stability of the aircraft test was conducted during the flight as well as evaluation of the power plant systems’ performance. The aircraft proved itself well in all phases of the planned flight program.

Tests on the PAK FA program are in accordance with the approved program. Currently, a set of preliminary ground and flight operations has been completed involving all three prototypes, which underwent bench strength tests, ground tests of fuel systems and other work.

The first flight of the PAK FA took place on January 29, 2010 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Acceptance tests of the prototype were completed at the end of March 2010. On April 8, 2010 the first flight model of the fighter jet and a comprehensive ground stand for working out the equipment and systems to provide flight test program, were delivered to the flying test center of the Sukhoi Design Bureau in Zhukovsky near Moscow. Upon completion of the required volume of preliminary tests on the stands of systems and components, including static strength tests of the static prototype, ground tests of the aircraft stand and the flight model, on April 29, 2010 the aircraft had started flight tests in accordance with the preliminary tests program. The first flight model made 36 sorties in accordance with the flight tests program.

Compared to the previous generation fighters, the PAK FA features a number of unique capabilities, including the functions of a strike aircraft and fighter. The 5th generation aircraft is fitted with essentially new avionics integrating the function of “an electronic pilot” and with an advanced phased antenna array radar. This considerably reduces the pilot fatigue, enabling him to concentrate on performance of a tactical mission. The new aircraft’s onboard equipment makes it possible to exchange information in the real time mode both with on-land control stations and with aviation group aircraft. The use of composite materials and innovative technologies, and the aerodynamic streamlining ensure unprecedented radar, optic and infrared stealthiness. This significantly enhances the operational capability against aerial and ground targets in all weathers, day and night.

Source: Sukhoi Company (JSC), News 3 Mar 2011, www.sukhoi.org

Gadzooks!! In 30-years (or so) the Russians might have five or six of them.

Bronc

arrowrl206 · by **arrowrl206** » 20 Mar 2011, 00:39

Easy Bronc...
The F-35 took its first flight on 15 December 2006. Going on 5 years later, there are exactly TEN flying (or seven, discounting the grounded birds).
Glass houses and all that...

broncazonk · by **broncazonk** » 21 Mar 2011, 03:51

Hey Arrowrl206:

You will never hear me defending the F-35 program. In my opinion, the F-35A, B and C ALL need to be cancelled, primarily because the Russians are going to build about 5 T-50's in total over 20-years and the J-20 is a joke.

Bronc

wrightwing · by **wrightwing** » 21 Mar 2011, 18:47

http://www.en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/2010 ... 97767.html

That sounds a bit more ambitious than 5 over a 20yr period. As for the J-20, I wonder if you could provide the metrics you're using to state in unequivocal terms, that it's a joke. That line of reasoning is akin to saying- the B-2 is a joke, because Northrop had never built a stealth bomber prior. That's not to say that the J-20 is the equal (or superior) of an F-22, but the fact that it even exists demonstrates that the Chinese CAN design things more advanced than Mig-21/Su-22s. The fact of the matter is that China is the 3rd largest economy, has a lot of engineers, and has access to modern electronics/manufacturing techniques. This isn't the 60s/70s, and they're not nearly as backwards as you seem to think.

broncazonk · by **broncazonk** » 22 Mar 2011, 03:01

The Chinese cannot design and build their own hang gliders. That is a categorical statement.

The J-11 is a cheap counterfeit copy (illegal counterfeit by the way) of the Su-27. The J-10 is a cheap counterfeit copy of the IAI Lavi powered by a cheap counterfeit copy of a Russian engine. The J-8 is a cheap counterfeit copy of the Su-15.

Prior to all of the above, the Chinese were building cheap counterfeit copies of Mig-19's and Mig-17's.

Chinese dragon kites are cheap counterfeit copies of Japanese dragon kites.

Unless a fully-functioning F-22 (complete with pilot) falls into the hands of the Chinese, we ain't got nothing to worry about.

Bronc

haavarla · by **haavarla** » 22 Mar 2011, 13:28

Easily scared?
Hopefully this will ruin your day completly then. :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUZwLLA2cbM&fmt=18

broncazonk · by **broncazonk** » 22 Mar 2011, 18:06

Thank you for that YouTube video link. The Russians build beautiful aircraft, not many anymore, but they are beautiful.

Bronc

haavarla · by **haavarla** » 22 Mar 2011, 21:31

for all intent and purpose, KnAAPO/Sukhoi do not need to build many prototypes.
There will be build only two more, a third could emerge around okt-Feb next year, and a fourth will follow closly after that.

The Four flying protoypes will have to do about 2500 hours of flight testing before the VVS state trials can begin.

Then we'll se 6-10 Pre-production Pak-Fa delivered to Lipetsk for RuAF acceptions trial.. or something like that.

It will be interesting to see how many year Sukhoi will nail down before becoming IOC..

One prototype crash and delays are unvoidable..

nusna_moebius · by **nusna_moebius** » 31 Mar 2011, 23:46

Sukhoi will probably be realistically ready for production within a few years, not 12 like the F-22. Then again the political environment, etc, is not the same as the F-22's. I'm impressed with how quickly the T-50 is developing. It seems that the Russian military does not have to deal with the same bureaucracy that the US military does, though the last few years had left it with a low budget and I'm sure the Russian Air Force is especially ready to modernize now that Russia is doing much better economically.

haavarla · by **haavarla** » 02 Apr 2011, 20:19

A 'few year' is streching it.
The Pak-Fa program is partly run by the Russian State, sinse Sukhoi is partly owned by Russian state. This is a huge different from the private US Aviation manufactors like LM, Boeing etc.
So yes thing are done differently from simillar US programs.
And funding should not be a problem at present time, but accident and mishaps could happen so the Pak-Fa program is not free from any delays.

nusna_moebius · by **nusna_moebius** » 05 Apr 2011, 05:57

haavarla wrote:A 'few year' is streching it.
The Pak-Fa program is partly run by the Russian State, sinse Sukhoi is partly owned by Russian state. This is a huge different from the private US Aviation manufactors like LM, Boeing etc.
So yes thing are done differently from simillar US programs.
And funding should not be a problem at present time, but accident and mishaps could happen so the Pak-Fa program is not free from any delays.

Of course, but things seem to be going swimmingly for them....highly unusual (as in fast) for a modern combat aircraft program, though I wonder how long the engineering phase took (probably began before year 2000?).

It blows my mind that the original F-22 first flew in 1991, and the Rafale and Typhoon both took well over a decade too to reach service. Yes, the Cold War ended during the development of all these planes but still.......

milosh · by **milosh** » 30 Apr 2011, 18:09

broncazonk wrote:Thank you for that YouTube video link. The Russians build beautiful aircraft, not many anymore, but they are beautiful.

Bronc

Sukhoi sold over 300 Su-30. And if you add around 100 Su-27 exported, that is at least 400 large airplanes build and sold for last 15-20 years. Not bad at all.

Here is nice video about Su-30 production in Irkut factory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1rrb2ccQZY

marco9 · by **marco9** » 09 Sep 2011, 07:45

ATF, JSF, PAK-FA, J-20, expensive toys for grown-up children. Spend that money (and effort) for welfare state and social development and you'll see how the avarage citizen life will improve.
It's exactly the reason why post WWII German and Japanese (and somehow Italian too) economies grew up dramatically. They had next to zero defense expenses due to heavy post war restrictions on defense imposed by Allies.

And still the social welfare in those two Countries is second to none (a part for Switzerland and Nordic European Countries who aviod wars like hell).

haavarla · by **haavarla** » 09 Sep 2011, 12:05

Appreciate your effort here, but this is an Aviation Forum.
Go to General topic thread or somewhere else and play out your politics view on how things should be run..

haavarla · by **haavarla** » 09 Sep 2011, 12:10

NOT TWO OF THEM !!!!!! Man, in a few years they could have... THREE !!! Lets surrenter now before they shoot all our Raptors down. We don't want to look bad in front of China!

Actuall there are four, soon to be five T-50 airframes..
Nice Trolling there.. :nono: