Tim Ripley and Jon Lake
Sukhoi plans to launch the development of a new fifth generation fighter with details of the initial financing expected to be revealed at Farnborough yesterday.
But behind the scenes, the plans are being overshadowed by growing disenchantment within the Indian Air Force (IAF) over its Sukhoi Su-30s purchase, with extraordinary claims about performance and even the type delivered to India.
Today at the show, details of a $100 million investment in a programme for a new fighter are expected to be released by Gosincor state investment corporation and its Guta bank subsidiary. Artem Kouznetsov, Gosincor-president, says that agreement has been reached with AVPK Sukhoi on a five-year investment programme.
Sukhoi has already flown its S-37 Golden Eagle demonstrator but that will not form the basis of the planned project, says Kouznetsov. "This prototype has already passed some test stages but it is planned to be thoroughly updated. That will take several years."
Creating a fifth generation fighter is something which just five or six countries in the world are capable of tackling, and in Russia it "will require consolidation of effort of dozens of Russian enterprises and will be a breakthrough for Russia's aircraft industry."
Breakthrough
Perhaps the first breakthrough Sukhoi needs is in its deteriorating relationship with the IAF. Reliable sources within the IAF say that the IAF regard the performance of the Su-30s delivered as "extraordinarily disappointing." More than half of the 18 aircraft delivered so far are unavailable for service at any one time. The most serious allegation is that what the IAF thought to be new-build multi-role strike fighters turned out to be second-hand Su-27UB trainers whose engine reliability "reflected heavy wear".
Despite an agreement that specified the introduction of progressively more advanced aircraft, the latter have not arrived.
The sources say that India is considering cancelling the rest of its 40-aircraft order and seeking compensation.
At Farnborough, Sukhoi general director Mikhail Pogosyan rejected the allegations. He suggests that "the different chemical composition of Indian fuel" might be responsible for the engine problems. The late delivery of the more advanced versions was because they are not "pure Russian".
He says the decision to integrate a disparate range of French, Israeli and Indian avionics has caused considerable delays and is "unfortunately not a Sukhoi responsibility".
Although denying Sukhoi is to blame, Pogosyan says that a joint Russian-Indian team has been formed to tackle the issues.
Source: Flight Daily News