After numerous false starts, the RSK MiG 1.44 fifth-generation fighter technology demonstrator made its first flight on 29 February. The flight, from the LII Gromov Flight Research Institute at Zhukovsky, near Moscow, lasted 18min.
The MiG 1.44 climbed to 3,300ft (1,000m) and twice circled Zhukovsky with the undercarriage down at a speed of 270-325kt (500-600km/h) before landing. The first flight was planned for March 1999.
RSK MiG chief test pilot Vladimir Gorbunov says: "We all have been waiting for this flight for so long, but it went through as an everyday event. The machine behaved well, but it is obvious by its handling qualities that it is a fundamentally new aircraft. So all the work lies ahead."
Design bureau Mikoyan Engineering Centre became part of RSK when MAPO was re-organised late last year. RSK is paying for and performing the flight tests.
While the MiG 1.44 is not considered a prototype for the Russian air force's next-generation fighter, RSK believes the programme is crucial for the development of Russian fighters. Key 1.44 technologies are super-cruise, reduced infrared, radar and visual signatures and thrust vectoring for control at high angles of attack.
Source: Flight International