Russia's fifth-generation fighters for export will be cheaper than their foreign analogues, the general director of the aviation companies Sukhoi and MiG said on Tuesday.
"The price of the fifth-generation export variant is an issue for discussion and negotiation. But I can say that we believe its main advantage will be a competitive price margin," Mikhail Pogosyan said, adding that the aircraft would be significantly more expensive than Russia's fourth-generation fighter model.
He said that the new-generation fighter will be presented at the 2011 MAKS air show outside Moscow.
"Next year you will be able to see how the fifth-generation fighter takes off," Pogosyan said.
Russia's only known fifth-generation project is Sukhoi's PAK FA and the current prototype is the T-50. It is designed to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II.
In mid-June, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin observed the 16th test flight of a prototype model of the new fighter.
Russia has been developing the model since the 1990s. The country's top military officials have said the stealth fighter jet, with a range of up to 5,500 km, should enter service with the Air Force in 2015.
The PAK FA is to be armed with next-generation air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles, and has two 30-mm cannons.
FARNBOROUGH, July 20 (RIA Novosti)
