India And Russia Aim To Fly Joint Fifth-Generation Fighter By 2017

India And Russia Aim To Fly Joint Fifth-Generation Fighter By 2017

(NSI News Source Info) February 6, 2009: India and Russia hope to induct their joint fifth-generation stealth fighter by 2017, with officials from both countries hoping to iron out their differences in the coming months and sign a development contract by mid-2009.

"There have been differences between the two air forces, as both have specific requirements," says M Fakruddin, director for corporate planning and marketing at Hindustan Aeronautics. HAL will lead the Indian side of the programme.

Russia and India agreed in early 2007 to jointly study and develop a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft Programme, FGFA. On October 27, 2007, NSI quoted Sukhoi's director, Mikhail Pogosyan, "We [India and Russia] will share the funding, engineering and intellectual property [of the new project] in a 50-50 proportion." The Indian version, according to the deal, will be different from the Russian version and specific to Indian requirements. While the Russian version will be a single-pilot fighter, the Indian variant will have a twin-seat configuration based on its operational doctrine which calls for greater radius of combat operations. The wings and control surfaces need to be reworked for the FGFA. Although, development work has yet to begin, the Russian side has expressed optimism that a test article will be ready for its maiden flight by 2012 induction into service by 2017.

"These issues will be sorted out soon and by the middle of the year we expect to start work so that the aircraft is inducted by 2017."

The countries began talks in 2007 to develop a fifth-generation fighter based on the Sukhoi PAK-FA, which Russia hopes will have its first flight by the end of 2009 and is pegged as a challenger to the Lockheed Martin F-22 and Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Last year HAL and Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport agreed to study the joint development of a fighter. Since then, however, there have been differences over the aircraft's design and New Delhi's level of involvement in the project.

"Two major issues must be resolved. India was asked to invest a lot of money, but is unhappy with the level of access to sensitive technology that the Russians plan to give in return.

In addition, the Indian air force is keen on a two-seat fighter, while Russia prefers to focus on a single-seater," says a New Delhi-based observer.