Even as the Russian PAK FA (also known as T-50), the advanced stealth fighter, is still in developmental testing, Kremlin has received its first blueprints for the sixth-generation fighter jet programme from the famous Sukhoi Design Bureau, TASS reported, citing Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
Following his meeting on the military aviation development, Rogozin told reporters that "they have really come up with the designs for the creation of the sixth-generation fighter."
The Russian deputy prime minister also spoke about achieving a "new quality of Russian aviation." Russia is well-known in developing faster and capable jet fighters that are highly manoeuvrable.
Speaking about the priorities, he said acquiring new radio-electronic technology and new armaments were crucial for Russia to remain ahead in the defence sector.
Viktor Bondarev, the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces, further revealed that Russia's sixth-generation fighter is being developed in manned and unmanned version capacities. He added that the plane could be modified in the both versions.
Bondarev further claimed that "work is going on - on the sixth and perhaps the seventh (generation) fighters."
Though Bondarev stopped short of giving a specific time frame when the unmanned version of the aircraft would be ready, he assured it would "a matter of the next few years," the report claimed.
Giving an update to the current status of the T-50 stealth aircraft, Rogozin said that the fifth-generation fighter is in "state testing."
Previously, Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) had claimed that the tests for T-50 will be completed in 2016 and it will start the serial production in 2017.
The T-50 is not just important to the Russians but also to the Indians, since the latter is developing its own variant of the T-50 called Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), which will be based on the Russian aircraft. India has also co-funded the development of the PAK FA programme along with Russia.
Recently, Russia scaled back the number of T-50 stealth fighters from 52 to 12, Kommersant reported.
