New Russian fighter jet makes maiden flight: official

A new Russian fighter jet developed amid the highest secrecy as part of a plan to modernize the armed forces on Friday successfully performed its maiden flight, officials said.

The fifth generation jet, manufactured by the Sukhoi company and known as the PAK FA, made a flight of just over 45 minutes at the firm's home base of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Far East region.

"The flight went successfully. It lasted 47 minutes. All tasks envisaged for the first flight were carried out successfully," Sukhoi spokeswoman Olga Kayukova told the Interfax news agency.

State television showed the aircraft's touchdown in what it said were the first ever images of the plane.

Interfax said that the new jet has the capability of carrying out long flights above the speed of sound as well as simultaneously attacking different targets.

Russia is currently embarking on a major programme to re-equip its military, not least the air force which is still using much Soviet-era equipment and suffers from frequent crashes.

The new fighter, which has been in development since the 1990s, is due to enter the armed forces in 2015, Russian news agencies said.

(c) 2010 AFP