Russia’s Rostec Developing Single-engine Manned-Unmanned 5-Gen Fighter Jet

Rostec, Russia’s umbrella organization for several aerospace and defence enterprises today announced the development of a concept single-engine fifth generation fighter jet in manned and unmanned versions.

"Indeed, the creation of a combat aviation system of the future in the light and middle class is being worked out. According to the plan, it can be a universal platform, in manned and unmanned versions. The concept and tactical and technical requirements for such a complex are being worked out," Chemezov said.

"So far, we are doing this proactively without budget funds. The Ministry of Defense has not made any orders. Nevertheless, we believe that this is a promising aircraft and we are considering various options for cooperation with foreign partners," the head of Rostec said. This topic is interesting from the point of view of promoting such an aircraft for export.

According to him, if the development of the aircraft is carried out by Rostec corporation's own funds, then Rostec can independently sell this technology abroad, especially in the case of joint development with any (foreign) state.

In February 2017, Chemezov announced that Russia and the United Arab Emirates would jointly develop a fifth-generation lightweight fighter. According to him, the aircraft can be created on the basis of the MiG-29, work will begin in 2018 and will take about 7-8 years.

The signing of an agreement with the United Arab Emirates on the subject of a light front-line multifunctional fifth-generation aircraft was also reported by the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia.

While there is no progress on the UAE-Russia joint project, Abu Dhabi has ordered US-made F-35 jets along with drones as part of a mammoth $23 billion deal. It is not clear if it would stil be interested in pursuing its agreement with the UAE on the 5-Gen fighter jet.