Aircraft
Russia’s Stealth Fighter Starts New Test Phase
Five of the prototype Sukhoi T-50s will move to a new base and be flown by military pilots for the first time.
One of the prototype Sukhoi T-50s on the runway at Zhukovsky, where all flight-testing has been conducted to date. (Photo: Chris Pocock)
One of the prototype Sukhoi T-50s on the runway at Zhukovsky, where all flight-testing has been conducted to date. (Photo: Chris Pocock)

Russia’s T-50 PAKFA fifth-generation stealth fighter is about to undergo flight testing by military pilots for the first time. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) said on January 6 that it would take delivery this year of five of the aircraft that have been flight-tested by Sukhoi at the Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII) in Zhukovsky. But the VKS, which since last year has encompassed the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, made no further mention of any order for production aircraft.