Russia To Receive 100+ New Warplanes, Combat Helicopters In 2017

The Russian Aerospace Force will receive more than 100 modern warplanes and combat helicopters.

"We shall receive new equipment - T-50 fighter aircraft, new helicopters," Force Commander-in-Chief Col.-Gen. Viktor Bondarev was quoted as saying by Tass Sunday.

"There are five [T-50 fighters] at the [Russian] Chkalov's State Flight Testing Center, they are being tested, and beginning in 2017 they will be arriving to our service," Bondarev was quoted as saying by Sputnik Saturday.

There were no delays and the development of the aircraft had been carried out ahead of the schedule, he added.

The aircraft is a stealthy, single-seat, twin-engine jet fighter, and will be the first operational aircraft in Russian service to use stealth technology. It is a multirole fighter designed for air superiority and attack roles. The fighter is planned to have supercruise, stealth, super-manoeuvrability, and advanced avionics to overcome the prior generation of fighter aircraft as well as ground and maritime defences.