Digital representation of PAK DA
Proposed long-range next generation plane being developed by the Tupolev design bureau will have a variety of functions, according to memos compiled for a meeting of the council for legislative support for the defense-industrial complex and military-technical cooperation under the Federation Council.
The plane will be capable of being configured as a bomber, command center or reconnaissance plane.
“Next generation front-line aviation planes (Sukhoi-57) are being created for addressing a wide range of tasks. So are airborne command centers at the strategic and operative levels and reconnaissance and strategic aviation planes (PAK DA),” the memos quoted by TASS say.
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This follows recent remarks by the head of the Federation Council’s defense and security committee Viktor Bondarev that research and development of the next-generation plane was nearing completion. The new long-range multifunctional plane is reportedly set to replace Tupolev-22M3, Tupolev-95MS and eventually Tupolev-160.
According to reprots by Russian media, the PAK DA is slated to enter duty in 2025-2030 after testing.
Earlier, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov noted that PAK DA may make the first flight in 2025-2026 and begin to be batch-produced in 2028 or 2029.
Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told the state-run news agency TASS on July 29 that Russia’s Sukhoi Aircraft Company has started a serial production of Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets to the Russian Aerospace Forces. Sukhoi Aircrat Company is set to deliver 76 Su-57 fighter jets to the Russian Aerospace Forces.
