Putin orders development of vertical take-off and landing fighter

"The development of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter is part of the state armaments program and is being carried out under the direction of President Vladimir Putin, the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces. This will be the future of Russian aircraft carriers,"TASSquoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov as saying yesterday.

Borisov confirmed that the project is in the design phase of models and test prototypes, focusing on creating a completely new product, instead of developing from the platform of past VTOL fighters such as the Yak-141. This aircraft can replace the Su-33 and MiG-29K carrier-based fighters in the current Russian navy, as well as compete with the US F-35B model.

Russian Navy Colonel Konstantin Sivkov affirmed late last year that the new VTOL model could occupy an important position in the Russian military aviation industry in general, instead of being limited to the Russian navy.

"The main problem with today's fighters is"It requires long and good quality runways. Airports that meet such standards are few in number and can be easily destroyed in a preemptive strike. VTOL fighters can be dispersed and take off from makeshift runways, maintaining combat capability in many situations," Mr. Sivkov commented.

VTOL capabilities allow aircraft to take off from warships with short runways, without steam or electromagnetic catapults. They can even launch from cargo ships with limited deck space, increasing flexibility in force deployment.

The Soviet Union developed a VTOL fighter called the Yak-141, which first flew in 1987. It was considered a promising aircraft by Western observers, but development was canceled after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In late 1991, Lockheed spent about $400 million to buy the Yak-141 design. This was the foundation for the company to apply to the manufacture of the F-35B version capable of vertical take-off and landing for the US Marine Corps.