Sukhoi CEO Mikhail Pogosyan has announced that Russia will conduct flight trials of the second prototype of the fifth-generation T-50 fighter aircraft by the end of 2010.
Pogosyan said the flight trial programme was moving ahead faster than expected, according to RIA Novosti.
The first prototype of the aircraft made its maiden flight on 29 January in Russia’s Komsomolsk-on-Amur and has conducted 40 trials in total.
The T-50 PAK FA aircraft will enter service with the Russian Air Force in 2015, replacing the MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters.
The PAK-FA SH121 radar complex will include three X-band AESA radars fitted on the front and sides of the aircraft.
The T-50 aircraft is designed to compete with the US F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, and will feature an IRST optical / IR search and tracking system.
