Russia’s hottest jet project currently in development, the highly classified Sukhoi T-50 or Sukhoi PAK FA (name for serial production when enter service) is a fifth-generation stealth multi-role fighter designed to deliver awesome long-range strike capabilities using modern weapon and stealthiness.
Arguably the main competitor to the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, the Russian-made Sukhoi T-50 is an extremely advanced, twin-engine, multi-rolejet fighter that, aside from being a top-level black project (in other words, highly hush-hush), promises to deliver an insane top speed, range and payload.
It will be first Russian airplane that use stealth technology. It is made to reduce its radar cross-section (RCS) with several specific angles in order to reduce radar waves that can be reflected. According to Russian sources, RCS of PAK FA or T-50 RCS is almost same as F-35, 0.005-0.5 square metre, but RCS of F-22 Raptor is still smaller – 0.001-0.3.
Power, which is titanic – 267 kilonewtons (66,000 pounds-force) of thrust on afterburner – comes courtesy of two Saturn 117 turbofan jet engines. The thrust has been drastically increased since the previous AL-31 powerplant and this not only allows the T-50 to easily surpass Mach 2 (a top speed of 2,500 kilometres, or 1,500 miles, per hour) but also supercruise – continuously fly at supersonic speeds without engaging the afterburner.
Avionics are handled by an integrated radar complex, which includes three X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars mounted to the front and sides of the aircraft, an infra-red search and track (IRST) system, as well as a pair of L-band radars on the wing leading edges, which are specially designed to detect very low observable (VLO) targets.
Currently only a handful of T-50S have been produced and flown, however it is expected that throughout its 35-year life span beginning in 2016, more than 1,000 jets will be made, each unit costing between GBP 31-36m (USD 48-57m).
Sukhoi T-50 specs
- Crew: 1
- Length: 19.8m (65.9ft)
- Wingspan: 14m (46.6ft)
- Height: 6.05m (19.8ft)
- Weight: 18,500kg (40,785lb)
- Powerplant: 2 x AL-41F1 afterburning turbofans
- Max speed: Mach 2+ (2,500km/h; 1,560mph)
- Max range: 5,500km (3,417mi)
- Max altitude: 20,000m (65,600ft)
- Rate of climb: Classified
- Thrust/weight: 1.19
- g-limit: Classified
- Guns: 2 x 30mm cannons
- Hardpoints: 6 x external pylons, 4 x internal pylons
- Armament: Air-to-air, air-to-ground, anti-ship