India wants to have its test pilots evaluate PAK-FA

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Mos cow in December, India has asked Russia to allow IAF test pilots to fly its fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) to evaluate its capabilities.

"Flight-testing will help decide the way forward on the collaboration between the two countries on the FGFA. All options, ranging from an off-the-shelf purchase of 60-65 jets to joint production, are on the table," said a top defence ministry official on Friday.

The fact that India needs an FGFA, which combines stealth, super-cruise capability, super-maneuverability data fusion and multi-sensor integration on a single fighter, in the years ahead cannot be disputed. US is the world's only fully-operational FGFA as of now, the Russian Sukhoi T-50 and the American F-35 'Lightning-II' Joint Strike Fighter are the ones undergoing final developmental tests.

But having repeatedly rejected the FGFA overtures made by the US, India was slated to seal the project to codevelop and co-produce the Sukhoi T-50 with Russia at least three years ago. It was after all way back in 7 that the Indo-Russian in 2007 that the Indo-Russian inter-governmental agreement for the FGFA was inked. It was followed by the $295 million preliminary design contract in December 2010.

India, along the way , also slashed its requirement from the original 166 single-seat and 48 twin-seat fighters to just 127 single-seat jets. The overall FGFA project cost for making all the 127 fighters in India was pegged at around $25 billion.

But technical, cost and delivery timeframe wrangles have kept the final design contract -under which both sides were to chip in an initial $5.5 billion each for prototype development and infrastructure - far away from being inked till now."The off-the-shelf purchase is being considered since the final R&D contract may take more time," said the source.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/let-iaf-test-fly-fifth-generation-fighter-aircraft-india-asks-russia/articleshow/48932038.cms