Russia has announced the unveiling of a ‘fundamentally new’ 5th Generation military aircraft during MAKS-21 which will rival the US made Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft. It is speculated that the design is by the Mikoyan (MiG) a part of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which is a part of Rostec State Corporation. Russia has released a teaser video of the aircraft.
Previously it was announced that the Mig Aircraft Corporation has begun work on a tactical aviation platform to develop a light fifth-generation fighter jet. In late 2019, the MiG Aircraft Corporation placed an order on the government’s procurement website for the “aerodynamic design of a light multirole frontline aircraft based on a two-engine scheme, which is due to be developed in 2020-2025. MiG Corporation has a Light Multi-Purpose Frontline Aircraft Programs Directorate for the development of fighters. Mikoyan has not built new planes for a while.
The plane has been in the news since 2017 when Russians announced that they will jointly develop a light fifth generation fighter with the UAE. In the released teaser video, the first visual is from the UAE followed by India and then Vietnam.
“Joint work on a light fifth-generation jet with the UAE is in the initial phase. We are working on proposals addressed to the UAE. We believe it will be a good plane. We are prepared to present the results of our R&D efforts to our counterparts,” said Yuri Slyusar, the head of the United Aircraft Corporation, in 2017.
“Sukhoi will contribute its research into the fifth generation and the MiG with its ideas regarding single-engine planes. The concept of a new aircraft is still to be determined. We have not formulated the concept of a fifth-generation jet so far. We are still undecided if it is going to be a single-engine or twin engine plane. The agreement signed enables us to start that work,” he had said.
In December 2020, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov told Tass, “work is underway to develop a combat aviation system of the future in its light and medium classes. Under the design, this may be a universal platform in the manned and unmanned versions.”
The UEC-Klimov Company Executive Director Alexander Vatagin is already on record that Russia had the potential to restart the production of inexpensive single-engine fighter jets whose motor could be developed on the basis of the available RD-33 engine.
In addition, the Sukhoi Aircraft Company is developing the first Russian single-engine light tactical fighter with a supersonic speed capability and low radar signature.
This year, the MAKS-2021 aerospace show will run in the town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow on July 20-25.