T-50 (fgfa). Source: Ria Novosti

The initial version of Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) fighter jet, which is being jointly developed by Russia and India, will be unveiled in India in 2014, various sections of the Indian media reported on Monday.

The FGFA aircrafts are likely to be inducted into the Indian Air Force by 2022, according to the reports. India and Russia are close to signing a key contract expected to be worth over US$ 11 billion for R&D phase of the project, PTI said.

“The first prototype of the FGFA is scheduled to arrive in India by 2014 after which it will undergo extensive trials at the Ojhar air base,” PTI cited Indian Air Force Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, as saying. “We are hopeful that the aircraft would be ready for induction by 2022.”

Chief Browne was in Russia recently to review the progress made in the FGFA programme and the prototypes of the aircraft that are being developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the agency said.

The second prototype will arrive in India in 2017 and the third prototype will arrive in 2019, according to the PTI report. The Indian Air Chief was cited as saying that the final version of the FGFA would be developed for operational service, based on the experience of test-flights of the each prototype.