"The airplane will be modifiable for both variants", Bondarev said answering the question whether the airplane would be piloted or unmanned. "If we stop now, we will stop forever. That’s why, works are underway; both sixth and, maybe, even seventh generation", reports citing the general.
According to vice premier Dmitry Rogozin, Russian aircraft industry is currently "at the stage of state trials of the fifth generation fighter". To maintain achieved positions, it is necessary to hold preemptive developments in the field of new radio electronic technologies and weapons, said the deputy prime minister administering defense industry’s matters.
The information about development of the sixth-generation fighter in Russia began early in 2010-ies; reportedly, the warplane would replace the T-50 fighter being presently tested. The new airplane is supposed to see the light by 2030-ies. Currently, the work on the 6G fighter is carried out by the US. The lead developer in the F/A-XX project is Boeing. That program became more intense when trials of the Russian fifth-generation fighter T-50 kicked off in 2010.
Unmanned 6-Gen Fighter to Appear Soon, Russian Air Force Commander Said
Viktor Bondarev, the Russian Airspace Force Commander, announced development of sixth- and seventh-generation fighters in Russia. According to him, the 6G airplane will be made both in piloted and unmanned versions. First projects were presented by the Sukhoi Design Bureau.
