Russian Aviation Giants MiG and Sukhoi Discussing a Third Sixth Generation Fighter Program

Russia’s leading manufacturers of combat jet aircraft, Mikoyan (MiG) Sukhoi are reportedly discussing the possibility of a joint program for a sixth generation fighter jet. Industrial director of the Rostec aviation complex, Anatoly Serdyukov, announced in the first week of September that such a program was under discussion and strongly indicated that close collaboration was a possibility. Two other sixth generation programs  are already under development in Russia – the MiG-41 heavyweight interceptor and an enhanced variant of the Su-57 fighter. The Su-57 is currently considered a fifth generation aircraft, but has integrated a number of unique technologies not found in other aircraft of its generation such as laser defences and hypersonic ballistic missiles. Prototypes are currently being used as testbeds for sixth generation technologies such as artificial intelligence. The MiG-41 is expected to see its first flight before 2030, and is a much heavier hypersonic aircraft designed for high-end space warfare. The Russian fighter and interceptor fleets are currently formed exclusively of fourth, ‘4+’ and ‘4++’ generation aircraft, with the Su-57 itself having yet to enter service. Read more…