Costs for the PAK-FA project should be helped by Indian financing and purchases of the 2-seat version; and anyways, if oil/gas prices go through the roof again, the Russians will be swimming in cash.
The development of the PAK FA was helped by Indian financing, but do we expect the Russian Air force to use Indian cash to buy fighters for itself?
I even say good luck to the Russian purchase of their Su-35s.... I do wonder how they will finance their purchases for it.
What victtodd said was true - you can have the technological base but without kaching, then you're pretty much at a dead end.
If we assume the PAK FA to be a fraction of the F-22's cost, and take account that the RuAF's budget is a fraction of the USAF's... Then it's highly likely that the PAK FA won't be getting into high numbers too fast. I doubt it'll be cancelled like the F-22 of course, but the fielding of the plane will be most likely very slow.
And also, I don't know why everyone is going "omg Russia flew a 5th gen plane, now Russia's fortunes will go better" (slight exaggeration, the meaning's the same though). The flight is a huge success, but that hardly equals a big turnaround for the Russians - they're still economically in a (relatively) large load of poo.
(PS: On the whole oil, gas thing - let's not count the chickens before the eggs hatch.)
. So an economy with a sound civilian technological base is vital to a sustainable military power. Russia might be awash with cash again thanks to its vast natural resources, however, its civilian technological base is withering, and fast. The progress of Russia´s military technology is still much predicated on its Soviets heritage, manifested by the 5th gen fighter project and new gen ICBM.