PAK FA Update
- Thread starter walter
- Start date
MIGleader
Banned Idiot
I have a feeling foreign investors are behind this. The russian airforce has not recieved any aircraft for 10 years, and now they are beginning to buy some of Migs, Yaks, Sukhoi's latest combat aircraft/trainers, aquiring s-400s, and securing dozens of upgrade packages for the existing force of flankers and foxhounds. Not to mention aquring a few strategic bombers. Where did this money all come from?
On top of all this, russia seems to have the money to make head way in the pak fa programm, which has not recieved many signifigant boosts since the flight of the su-47. I guess redesigning the airframe of the su-47 was not difficukt for sukhoi, but the money to keep the programm going with engines, weapons, and controls may take years.
On top of all this, russia seems to have the money to make head way in the pak fa programm, which has not recieved many signifigant boosts since the flight of the su-47. I guess redesigning the airframe of the su-47 was not difficukt for sukhoi, but the money to keep the programm going with engines, weapons, and controls may take years.
I guess I've been wrong all along. I thought the Russians would not be able to come up with a prototype until 2009. I guess it really helps to have already designed berkut and MFI. Either way, it looks like the Russian defensive budget has reached the level where it can fund some domestic projects now and doesn't exclusively need foreign money. Good news for sukhoi and knaapo for sure.
MIGleader
Banned Idiot
Is russia still looking for foreign investors? or does this mean the project has been completly domesticated?
I would have liked to see china invest on the pak-fa project. The experience and know how learned from the russians could have really assisted j-xx. Its sad too see after all this development, the pak-fa is still really a flanker on the inside.
I would have liked to see china invest on the pak-fa project. The experience and know how learned from the russians could have really assisted j-xx. Its sad too see after all this development, the pak-fa is still really a flanker on the inside.
I kinda doubt PAK FA will be a redesigned su-47 airframe or repackaged flanker. To my knowledge su-47 had next to zero VLO characterisics designed into it, and taking an existing airframe, redesigning it to be a VLO vehicle is nearly impossible. Paint all the RAM on there you want, at most you will get to LO levels of RCS, and probably only frontal. Other detail treatments can also lower RCS, but in practice, VLO so far is only achievable if the aircraft is designed from the ground up with VLO as a leading design criterium. Since PAK FA is to be a 5th gen fighter which among other things includes VLO characteristics, aka stealth, I don't think it will look very similar to the su-47. Lessons learned from existing aircarft will obviously be applied to a new design, especially avionics, but I really think we will see a non-derivative airframe.
Just my speculation though..., we still have to wait to see pics of wind tunnel models or a mockup, then we will have a better idea as to what extent existing designs have flowed into PAK FA.
Just my speculation though..., we still have to wait to see pics of wind tunnel models or a mockup, then we will have a better idea as to what extent existing designs have flowed into PAK FA.
Well, the Russians are certainly developing the lighter one for the export market. Kind of like F-22 and F-35. It makes you wonder what the capability of the two fighters will be like.walter said: