Russia’s military aircraft industry stays aloft

For the first time in over twenty years, an entirely new Russian fighter aircraft will take to the skies in front of the public at the MAKS-2011 air show, where the Sukhoi T-50 prototype combat aircraft is expected to be shown.

The fact that Russia will showcase its fifth-generation fighter for the first time is a testament to the survival of a meaningful military aerospace industry, after two decades of huge spending cuts.

Russian aerospace has had to survive on what it could earn overseas, primarily in the burgeoning Asian market, particularly China and India.

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