Mass production of T-50 fighters to start in 2016

Russia may start mass production of fifth-generation T-50 fighter (PAK FA) jets in 2016, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov said Monday.

“We have plans to deliver the first series of fifth-generation fighter jets next year,” Sputnik News quotes Borisov. Deputy Defence Minister is currently visiting to the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aviation plant in the country’s Far East, where Russia is developing the PAK-FA fighter jet.Four more prototypes will be available for tests this year, Borisov added.

The Russian Armed Forces began to accept into service the first T-50 jets in February.
The T-50 differs from the 4 and 4++ generation of jet fighters, with the presence of modern radar stations (RLS), which can detect “stealth” technology aircraft. In addition, there is the Himalaya electronic warfare complex and an arsenal of precision weapons, which are also undergoing a series of tests together with the airplane. The new aircraft is invisible to enemy radar: the aircraft manufacturers at Sukhoi succeeded in significantly reducing the PAK FA’s radar cross section – the basic characteristic that makes aircraft visible to radars.