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.
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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.
