PAK-FA image leak at Aero India '07 (?)

Hello folks,

At the Mig stall at Aero India ’07 I obtained a 40 page Phazotron Special Issue “Information and Analytical” Magazine which is full of program details, technology lists and graphs pertaining to the Zhuk-AE AESA radar for the Mig-35.

However, its not just this new radar that facinated me. The inside page of the front cover has an ad for Aero India ’07 encouraging participation in the same and has contact details of the FICCI trade secretariat for participation. The central part of this full page ad has three pics – one is a CGI of an ISRO satellite, the other is the side view of an Air India passenger liner and the third is a strange, large fighter (seemingly 5th gen and stealthy)painted in the colours of the Indian flag. The pics seem to be in agreement with the highlighted topics of “Defence, Civil, Space, Business Aircraft” specified below them.

Coming to the 5th gen plane … the rear looks somewhat like the YF-23, the front intakes look a little like those on the Raptor, the plane has canards and the wings look very weird.

After noticing this image (i cant make out if its a CGI or a model), I took the very mag to the Russian guy manning the Sukhoi stall – showed him this pic and asked him what it was. The reply I received startled me. I quote his words, “5th generation fighter; Sukhoi, India”. I then asked him if it was the PAK-FA, and did not seem to comprehend me; he was like “P A K .. what??”; so I left it at that. I then asked him if this model(which i presume it is) was on display anywhere at the air show, and got a firm “no” as a reply. I asked him if it was a stealth airplane, and got another “yes” in his rough voice. He soon left with another guy from the Sukhoi stand (for lunch i think). He spoke little and was not fluent in English.

I later went and asked over a dozen other people who were manning stalls of several Russian and Indian defence establishments and all of them said that didn’t know anything about the pic. However, one DRDO person at the LCA pavillion that I spoke to, hinted that this pic could have been taken from a Russian presentation to an Indian delegation proposing a joint 5th gen project. He however said that he knew nothing about this and stressed that the proposition he had stated was just his speculation …

Since I don’t have a scanner at home, I’ll only be able to post a scan of this in a few days time. I am sure there is no shortage of people on this forum who had been to AI’07 & have a copy of this mag … hoping one of them would post a scan of the very page sooner.

Thinking about this in the relevance and context of the recent news that India would be allying with Russia to build a 5th gen fighter, I am wondering if this is actually the PAK-FA :confused: ..