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Russia has announced that the induction of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) which is being developed with Indian partnership will begin in 2015.
The Russian Defence Ministry has indicated that the Russian Air Force will be inducting the FGFA which will have stealth features, greater engine resource, enhanced target acquisition, new weapon suites and airframe different from the present generation of fighters. As for India, a lighter twin-seater version of the fifth generation fighter would be developed.
The joint development agreement of the FGFA by India and Russia was signed in 2007 during the Russian visit by the Indian Defence Minister A.K.Anthony. The FGFA contract is being mulled over by India and is expected to be finalized next month during the Russian visit of the Indian Defence Minister for the annual session of the Indo-Russian Inter- governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation.
The FGFA is the futuristic multi-role stealth fighter being developed on the basis of Sukhoi Corporation’s super secret PAK-FA project. This fifth generation aircraft is said to be a variant of the T-50 aircraft from Sukhoi.
As for the Indian Air Force (IAF), they have found certain discrepancies in the FGFA project. IAF feels India has invested heavy funds for the Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft and it should not spend more in variants of the Sukhoi Corporation. Besides, IAF had suggested earlier that India’s involvement should be from the start of the FGFA project. However, Russians say the design of the proposed 5th generation aircraft has been finalized. This will not enable India to project its own experience into the FGFA design and will not give the required insight into the development of the FGFA.
In 2007, India and Russia had signed the FGFA agreement but the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau had not signed the agreement. Apparently, HAL said that it was willing to participate in the Fifth generation aircraft but would only invest $2 billion on our side in the development of the fighter. As for the IAF, it had clearly indicated that India should not contribute more than $2 billion in the joint production project. But under the proposed deal, India will have to invest around $5 billion which is India’s share of fifty per cent in the joint project.
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