Sukhoi PAK FA-T 50:5th Gen fighter of INDIA & RUSSIA-Why it scares everyone?

• published: 28 Feb 2015
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Introduction: ▪ It is a 5th generation fighter being jointly developed by Russia & India. ▪ The companies/organization involved are: Sukhoi from Russia & HAL( Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ) from India ▪ The Sukhoi PAK FA is a multirole stealth fighter aircraft. What is a PAK-FA considered as a 5th generation fighter? The features which makes PAK-FA a 5th Gen fighter are as follows: ▪ Stealth: Stealth technology also termed LO technology (low observable technology) is a set of techniques which can camouflage a aircraft against detection by things like radar, sensors etc ▪ Supersonic cruise Supercruise is sustained supersonic flight of an aircraft without the use of highly inefficient afterburners (which greatly reduces range) ▪ Thrust vectoring:The ability of an aircraft to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) in order to control the attitude or angular velocity. Makes the aircraft highly maneuverability & makes it a great dog fighter. The PAK-FA is the only aircraft with 3D thrust vectoring ▪ Highly integrated avionics: To help the pilots fulfill their missions more efficiently through better integration & analysis of available information. Ex: HUD (Heads Up Display) ▪ Powerful suite of active and passive sensors to detect enemy aircraft, missiles etc ▪ Uses RAM (Radar Absorbent Material) for construction , making it difficult to be detected. ▪ Internal weapon-bays so reduce RCS ((Radar Cross Section)) Specifications: Crew: 1 (India specific model may have 2 pilots) Length:72.18 ft (22 m) Width:46.59 ft (14.20 m) Height:19.85ft (6.05 m) Weight (Empty):40,786 lb (18,500 kg) Weight (MTOW):81,571 lb (37,000 kg) Power-plant:2 x NPO Saturn / FNPTS MMPP Salyut AL-41F1 turbofan engines developing 35,000lbs of thrust each Maximum Speed:1,616 mph (2,600kmh; 1,404 kts) Maximum Range:3,107 miles (5,000km) Service Ceiling: 65,617 ft (20,000 m; 12.4 miles) Rate-of-Climb:1,184 feet-per-minute (361 m/min) Hardpoints for weapons mounting:14 (8 internal + 3 in each wings) Weapons: ▪ The Gsh-301 is a single barrelled 30mm cannon manufactured by Izhmash JSC, Russia. The cannon can fire 1,500 to 1,800 rounds a minute. ▪ The R-77 missile is an air-to-air medium-range missile manufactured by Vympel, Russia. Its variant can be used in BVR (Beyond Visual Range) as well as in WVR (Within Visual Range) ▪ Two large anti-ship bombs weighing 1,500kg each and two missiles developed by Novator Bureau can also be fitted in the aircraft. Competitor : ▪ F 22-Raptor from U.S.A is the only operational 5th Gen fighter ▪ F 35 Lightning 2 : Currently in development stage. ▪ J 20 from China: It is in development stage. Why is it important for India ? ▪ India plans to operate 200-250 of these high end fighters. ▪ India’s main fighter backbone is Sukhoi 30 MKI. Though it is a formidable in current environment but in future India will require more advanced fighter to counter fighters aircraft like J 20 of China which is India’s main rival. ▪ TOT (Transfer Of Technology) from Russia is very important since it provided the Indian organizing like HAL with much needed technological know-hows which will enable it to design high end fighter by its own in future. ▪ Since it is a multi role fighter it can be used against ground targets as well. In the mean time India plans to acquire 128 Dassault Rafale through Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition till PAK-FA is ready for deployment. Why is it important for Russia ? ▪ Russia plans to deploy 200-250 of these ▪ Enable it to pose a direct challenge to F22 Raptor & F35 Lightning 2. Its a battle for air superiority. ▪ Use the funding from India to bolster its defense industry specially the fighter aircraft segment. ▪ The project is also too costly for Russia to bear on its own. Conclusion: PAK-FA will truly change the scenario of air combat in near future. ▪ From Russia’s perspective, it is their answer to F22 & F35. Both aircraft, the F-22 Raptor and the PAK-FA will dominate the skies for at least the foreseeable future. ▪ From India’s perspective it will be able to meet challenges from upcoming Chinese J 20 and IAF (Indian Air Force) will be able to hold its own against the PLA Airforce (People's Liberation Army Air Force) ▪ Pakistan doesn’t have any 5th Gen fighter program in pipeline & its current crop of fighter like F 16 will be no match for PAK-FA. With the induction of PAK-FA India will have dominating edge against Pakistan & will have air superiority over the skies.