MOSCOW - Russia operates a fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) in the form of Sukhoi Su-57, but is already eyeing another state-of-art jet for its armed forces. Russia's MiG Aircraft Corporation claims it is developing MiG-41, which will be a fifth-generation fighter-interceptor.
"No, this is not a mythical project, this is a long-standing project for the MiG and now we are carrying out intensive work under the aegis of the UAC [the United Aircraft Corporation] and will present it to the public soon," MiG CEO Ilya Tarasenko told Russian news agency TASS. He added that R&D and experimental design work on MiG-41 will begin "in the immediate future" and the first fighter is expected to join the Russian Armed Forces in the mid-2020s.
MiG will not only develop a piloted version of the fighter but also a jet which will be unpiloted. Russia will phase out the MiG-31 interceptor and replace the jet with the fifth-generation MiG-41 aircraft. The MiG-41 project is currently known as the PAK DP (Prospective Aviation Complex of Long-Range Interception).
The Su-57, which is currently seeing action in Syria, has stealth technology and can cruise in supersonic mode. Russia and India are also working jointly on a fifth-generation fighter aircraft although the latter has raised several concerns about the project particularly about the cost, long time frame, stealth technology and other crucial details.