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HAL Sukhoi PMF/FGFA

2019 5TH GENERATION MODERN AIRCRAFT X-PLANE

History

In December 2010, it was announced that the Indian and Russian governments had reached a cooperation agreement to develop an indigenous 5th generation fighter jet based on the Russian Sukhoi PAK-FA T-50. prototype. India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will work with the Sukhoi Group to develop an advanced India-oriented stealth fighter jet for the Indian Air Force using the existing fleet of Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum and Sukhoi Su-30MKI use. "Flanker-H") Air Superiority Fighter - Two Cold War aircraft, a requirement in the 1970s.

The $11 billion deal will bring an advanced, state-of-the-art fighter jet to the Indian Air Force, a series tentatively scheduled to launch in 2022. So far, the government plans to sign an agreement to provide India with a working prototype expected to be delivered in 2014, with a follow-up prototype expected in 2017.

A third will join these two in 2019, all of which will serve as evaluation mounts to test various components, airborne systems, and general handling and weapons delivery.

The Indian project was originally known as the "Fifth Generation Fighter" (FGFA) and is now (as of August 2012) known as the "Perspective Multi-Role Fighter" (PMF). It's no secret that the Russians are lagging behind in India's military procurement race, and their promise to deliver advanced PAK FA fighter jets shows a growing desire to be part of it. As such, India plans to procure 250 PAK FA (single seat) and PAK FA derivatives (two seat), from which Sukhoi will benefit greatly - PAK FA will arrive first, but will be equipped with Indian software and electronics and support India Weapons.

The Indian Air Force recently signed an agreement to temporarily procure the French Dassault Rafale to replace its phase-out MiG-21 fleet, while retaining its MiG-29 and Su-30 fleet. The joint PAK FA/PMF effort is similar in scope to the Su-30M/Su-30MKI program - the Su-30M is the standard Russian flank, while the Su-30MKI is an Indian-based derivative with local modifications led by Hal.

Like its T-50 counterpart, the Indian PMF will have inherent "stealth" characteristics without the need for extensive use of lean angles (more in line with the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk than the Lockheed F-22 Raptor). It will have a "supercruise" capability, allowing the airframe to fly at supersonic speeds without deploying fuel-guzzling afterburners. The PMF will also be state-of-the-art, with advanced fly-by-wire flight electronics and a fully digital cockpit, advanced weapons identification, tracking and delivery, and an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar - the latter of which will be mounted in the nose . This will allow the PMF to evade enemy radars and homing missiles while delivering advanced payloads of air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-radiation missiles, anti-ship missiles and precision-guided munitions as needed.

Where possible Using composite materials to control operational weight, eight of the 16 proposed weapon mounts were kept inside to help reduce the aircraft's overall radar signature. The engines are expected to rival the Saturn-Lyulka AL-41F family of turbofans, capable of afterburning with more than 34,000 pounds of thrust and 34,000 pounds of power, and three Russian companies are vying for eventual rights to the engines.

Like other 4th, 5th and 5th generation fighter jets, PMF will use its fleet's "network" through secure data connections. The two-seat variant will flaunt a second cockpit at the expense of interior space (and therefore fuel storage and range); the second pilot takes some of the workload of the primary pilot, creating a more efficient weapons delivery system.

The PMF's weapons are expected to be largely Indian in nature, which will reduce reliance on foreign procurement and increase logistical friendliness within the Indian Air Force circle. Overall, the Indian variant will be largely similar to the Russian design on the outside, but will feature a fully Indian design on the inside in terms of electronics, avionics and weapons.

Due to the ongoing nature of the PMF program, the specifications on this page are subject to change (the data presented in this article is primarily based on the existing PAK FA T-50 prototype).