India and Russia have completed the preliminary design of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), T-50. Sukhoi in a press rele...
India and Russia have completed the preliminary design of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), T-50.
Sukhoi in a press release said the design of the fighter has been fully completed and an R&D contract will be signed by this year.
In the first stage of the project the Russian side has trained Indian professionals, provided them with the original data and the software to create a single working environment. The Indian team has been working in Russia since January 2012 and a group of Russian specialists in India.
The PMI/FGFA fighter developed for India will have some differences from the Russian prototype due to specific requirements of the Indian Air Force.
This is India’s biggest-ever defence project and its largest defence deal with Russia.
It is expected to cost India more than $30 billion. However, last year India scaled down its original plan to acquire 214 planes by one-third, to 144 aircraft, citing time and cost factors.
Russia plans to induct 60 planes at an estimated price tag of $100 million per aircraft.
In December 2010, Rosoboronexport, Sukhoi Company and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited signed a $295 million preliminary design contract (PDC)to develop a sketch and technical project of the fighter.
The agreement on the joint development and production of the 5th generation fighter aircraft was signed on October 18, 2007 in Moscow at the 7th Session of the joint Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation.
The Russian prototype of the fifth generation fighter T-50, have already performed more than 200 test flights since January 2010.
