India's stealth fighter to take-off soon

In less than four months from now, India's first stealth fighter will fly for the first time. It's called the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft or FGFA and is being developed in Russia by Sukhoi, the same firm that worked with India to develop the mainstay of the Indian Air Force, the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter.

A drawing shows what India's first stealth fighter looks like. It may be an artist's impression, but sources at Sukhoi, which is building the FGFA or Fifth Generation Fighter say the images resemble the real thing quite closely.

The FGFA is designed to have a top speed of approximately Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. It has the ability to super cruise or in other words operate at speeds beyond the speed of sound without engaging systems called afterburners, which consume huge amounts of fuel. And comes equipped an electronically scanned array radar whose beams are electronically steered to detect targets with maximum accuracy.

India, which has partnered Russia in the development of jet, the Sukhoi 30 MKI, is a key player in the FGFA project and is expected to pay a sizeable chunk of the $3 billion needed to fund development of the fighter.

"The prototype will take off this year. India is an important player," said Alexey Federov, president, United Aircraft Corporation.

Several of the technologies being developed for the stealth fighter have evolved from those used in the Sukhoi 30 MKI.

Considered the most maneuverable fighter in the world, the Sukhoi 30 MKI uses thrust vectored engines which deflect the exhaust from its engines to extreme angles, which enable the jet to pull off violent maneuvers like a flat spin, where the jet literally spins around on its axis.

As new technologies are developed for the stealth fighter, they will also find their way into the Sukhoi 30.