T-50 Accident To Not Affect Test Program

An accident with an advanced Russian T-50 fifth-generation fighter jet, which briefly caught on fire while landing near Moscow, will not affect the schedule of planes’ test runs, Sukhoi company said Tuesday.

The recent accident involving a T-50 will not affect the timing of the test program, according to Sukhoi Design Bureau. 

The Bureau on Tuesday said that it would investigate the failure of a T-50's engines during landing near Moscow which caused a minor fire on aircraft’s hull. No casualties were reported and the fire was quickly extinguished.

“The jet will be restored. No one was injured. Sukhoi company has set up a commission to investigate the reasons of the accident. But the accident will not change the schedule of test runs slated for the T-50 program,” the company said in a statement.

The Sukhoi T-50 features a stealth profile with internal weapons bays for air and ground-attack weapons, thrust-vectoring engines for high-acceleration turns and an ability known as supercruise to fly supersonic without the use of a fuel-guzzling afterburner. The first flight was held in January 2010. In 2011, the jet was first displayed to the public at the MAKS airshow. In 2013, three jets were presented at the show and performed group maneuvers, according to Ria Novosti. 

Combat squadrons could expect deliveries no later than in 2016 of the production version, known by its Russian acronym PAK-FA for future tactical fighter aircraft. The PAK-FA will replace the country’s aging fleet of Soviet-era fighter jets, the report added.