New Sukhoi Fifth Generation Fighter Uses Pixelated Color Scheme.
Photos of the newest Sukhoi T-50-9 have surfaced on Russian aircraft spotter blogs and forums. According to Russian media the aircraft made its first flight to Komsomolsk-on-Amur on April 24, 2017. The flight remained secret and no public photos were made.
Between May 10 and May 12 Russian aircraft spotters began to see the new T-50-9 for the first time. The aircraft was identifiable by its new “bort” number, 509, and most significantly by a wild new pixelated paint scheme. The first photos came from the Zhukovsky region near Moscow. Some of the photos first appeared on the Twitter account of Vasily Kuznetsov with what appears to be a cell phone photo of a digital camera playback before the photos were even uploaded to the Internet. At least one air-to-air photo allegedly shows “509” with two 8,000 lt drop tanks.
The T-50 in the new color scheme (Image credit: Stepanov Yury/RussianPlanes.net)
Comparisons between the new T-50 and the U.S. F-22 have been popular on forums and in news stories. The short story is that the performance of the newest T-50 will be similar to the F-22 according to Russian news sources, but that the aircraft will be re-engined with a new power plant that is reported to be “ahead of schedule”.
This appears to be the eighth Sukhoi PAK-FA T-50 prototype. Once the aircraft becomes operative it will likely receive a more common designation such as “Sukhoi Su-50”. The T-50 is made to compete directly with other 5th generation aircraft such as the U.S. F-22 and the Chinese Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31. India also claims to have an indigenous 5th generation fighter program underway although no prototype has been built.
Russia has said that its fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) program that is being planned with India would be a ‘completely new aircraft’ and is not linked to Moscow’s own new generation fighter.
According to Russian media outlets there are no export plans for the T-50, even though several variants are being considered for foreign markets.
Credit: DefendingRussia/Sukhoi
Most of the photos that have surfaced are very good quality images of the aircraft on the ground of taking off. One photo circulating in Russian social media appears to be an officially sourced image of the T-50-9 aircraft number 509 in flight with what is apparently a pair of long-range fuel tanks on the wings similar to the ones seen on the F-22.
The PAK-FA T-50 is quoted at approximately $50 million per aircraft current cost. According to Russian sources the aircraft is capable of a top speed of 1,516MPH (2,440kmh) and effective range of “3,418 miles”.
Top image Russian Air Force via Russiandefence.net
Heavy fog forced the F-35 to the ground, delaying the arrival of the first “Adir” jets in Israel. Not a good start, on the very same day Trump slammed the program’s cost for being “out of control.”
The aircraft were initially scheduled to arrive in Israel at around 2.00PM LT but the aircraft could not depart from the Italian airbase experiencing bad weather conditions with a horizontal visibility between 250 and 700 m, with clouds at 200 feet, well below the IFR minimums for the ferry flight.
Although some immediately blamed the F-35 for the delay, it must be said that the same wx (weather) would have grounded any other modern warplane on delivery or not involved in an actual combat mission.
An unlucky start for the “Adir” that caused the ceremony, to be attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Ashotn Carter, to be delayed by about 5.5 hours.
The “Adir” (F-35I) jets have taken off from Italy. The ceremony will begin at 19.30 at Nevatim AFB
As if the delay was not enough, on the very same day, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump said on Twitter that the F-35 cost is out of control, and that he would save billions on that once he takes office on Jan. 20, 2017.
The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.
A new video showing the tests of the T-50 PAK FA’s 9-A1-4071K cannon has appeared on Youtube.
The Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA, Russia’s 5th generation radar-evading jet, has undertaken live testing of its 30 mm cannon.
Footage reportedly filmed at a range outside Moscow shows a test platform fire the 9-A1-4071K cannon, an upgraded version of the GSh-30-1 30 mm automatic cannon developed by the Instrument Design Bureau for High Precision Weapons in 2014.
Based on the data released so far, the gun (that complements a wide array of weapons that the aircraft will be able to carry), 50 kg in weight, can fire at a rate of 1,800 rounds per minute, “the best such performance for this type of weapon around.”
According to the state-run Sputnik news media outlet “another thing that makes the 9-A1-4071K so special is its autonomous water cooling system where the water inside the barrel jacket vaporizes as it heats up during operation. The 9-A1-4071K cannon can fire blast-fragmentation, incendiary and armor-piercing tracer rounds and is effective against even lightly armored ground, sea and aerial targets. The cannon can hit ground targets up to 1,800 meters away and aerial targets at a maximum distance of 1,200 meters. Flight tests of the 9A1-4071K modernized rapid-aircraft cannon were earlier conducted on the Sukhoi SU-27SM multirole jet fighter.”
Expected to enter mass production next year, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to buy at least one squadron of T-50 aircraft in 2018.
Theoretically, exports should start in 2020: Sukhoi is working on T-50 variant (that will embed Indian hardware) for the Indian Air Force, even though the latter in 2014 complained in a report that was given wide publicity, that the stealth jet is too expensive, poorly engineered, equipped with inadequate radar.
And, above all, the Indians criticized the unreliable engines.
The Russians have countered that a new, more powerful engine, expected to replace the old AL-41F engine used by the Su-27 family, is under development.
The brand-new motors, along with improved sensors (and more reliable radar – this, as well, planned), will probably make the T-50 a dangerous enemy for both the F-22 and the F-35, preventing embarrassing episodes like those occurred at MAKS 2011.
Back in the 2011, when PAK-FA debuted, both T-50 prototypes had technical problems. The first one, “51” had structural breaks, while second one, “52” suffered a quite embarrassing flameout at the beginning of its MAKS 2011 performance and was forced to abort take off and display.
H/T to @aldana_jp for sending the video over to us.
This cool video features the stealthy PAK-FA next generation fighter along with other interesting Russian hardware.
To celebrate the Russian Aerospace Force Day, the Russian MoD has published an interesting clip showing some of its most advanced combat planes including the newest Sukhoi T-50 fifth generation fighter PAK FA – Perspektivny Aviatsionny Kompleks Frontovoy Aviatsii—Future Tactical Air System.
Along with the stealth aircraft equipped with a front, side and rear AESA radar, as well as L Band radars, TVC (Thrust Vectoring Control), a top speed exceeding Mach 2 and supermaneuverability, the footage shows the Tu-160 Blackjack, the Tu-95 Bear bombers, the MiG-29KUB naval fighter, Yak-130 advanced jet trainer, Su-35S fighter, Su-33 naval fighter (during Top Gun-like ops), as well as Fulcrums and Flankers of the Strizhi (The Swifts) and Russkiye Vityazi (The Russian Knights) aerobatic display teams.
According to TASS, the footage was recorded by Pavel Novikov from an Antonov An-12 military transport aircraft in south Russia this year.
The Russian Sukhoi T-50 is going to be a tough adversary for both the F-22 and F-35.
A video published by the TV channel Zvezda shows a Sukhoi PAK FA prototype performing some stunning aerobatics that prove the excellent maneuverability of Russia’s next generation radar-evading fighter jet.
According to the Russians, in terms of maneuvering capabilities, the new aircraft will have no rivals both among its Russian-made predecessors and among the foreign combat planes.
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