MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax-AVN) - A flying test version of the Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK FA), known also as the T-50 or the fifth-generation fighter, flew to the Russian Air Force's test center near Akhtubinsk, the Astrakhan region, on Friday to take part in a state joint test program, the Sukhoi holding press service reported on Friday.
"The plane was piloted by 1st Class Test Pilot Sergei Chernyshev," it said.
Four other T-50s are continuing flight tests in Zhukovsky, and two more aircraft are being involved in ground experiments, one of them serving as a complex ground bench and the other undergoing static tests.
In line with the PAK FA test program, the plane's aerodynamic performance, steadiness and controllability, structural dynamics, and the functioning of the onboard equipment and systems were assessed. The tests of the optical tracking system and an active phased array radar system on board the plane are in full swing, it said.
"Positive results have been obtained. Midair refueling was practiced. Super-maneuverability regimes are being practiced. The plane's systems are being monitored on test benches and ground experiments are being conducted," it said.
The PAK FA flew its maiden flight in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on January 29, 2010.