Do they plan to keep the first flight a secret also? Why is so important the location for the first flight?

In the good old days of central planning, first flights were traditionally undertaken @ Ramenskoye/ Gromov/ LII, Zhukovsky, Moscow. The times have changed and the T-50 is a fundamentally different aircraft to it’s predecessors and a prestige KnAAPO product.
Its Siberian location is not easily accessible to foreigners, besides, the PAK-FA’s entire technical support infrastructure is at KnAAPO- it’s simply practical.

Imho, I’d expect the T-50 to follow a similar development path as the Su-35BM, and I wouldn’t expect the prototype(s) to be transferred to Moscow before logging some serious flight hours. The static tester is in Moscow because of the specialist facilities there.

I think Fyodorov’s blowing some smoke. I believe official pics will be circulated after the first flight (unless it crashes).
Remember, at a personal level, his affection for the PAK-FA is probably akin to Gates’ for the F-22- but that’s another story…….

……..so now we wait…

Sukhoi Fighter Starting Flight Tests

Dec 28, 2009

By Alexi Komarov

The prototype of Sukhoi’s fifth-generation fighter, known as PAK-FA or T-50, has started taxi trials with an aim to make first flight early in January, industry sources say.

First taxi trials were successfully performed at Sukhoi’s Komsomol-on-Amur KnAAPO manufacturing facility, where prototypes are being built. The PAK-FA development is still classified, so images of the stealthy fighter are expected to appear only after the first flight.

Earlier this month deputy prime-minister Sergei Ivanov also confirmed to media that flight trials of the T-50 were expected to be underway by the beginning of January.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/SUKHOI12289.xml&headline=Sukhoi Fighter Starting Flight Tests&channel=defense

Hell, whatever we find under that last piece of fabric, it better be damn worth it.. 🙂

Yeah and let’s hope ‘she’ doesn’t turn out to be a ‘he’ 😀

…but seriously, another ‘credible insider’ source claims (now concensus) that there is a strong resemblance to the F-22, the V tail is the same angle though ‘shorter’, there are 2 main w/bays in tandem (but no small ones [?]), for the carriage of 4 (:eek::confused:) missiles – elsewhere has been claimed 8/10 internally carried (maybe he meant 4 large missiles? or 4 in each…or credibility demolished?), I guess time will tell, I’d expect ~10 internally.

Extensive use of composites, particularly in the [upper] fuselage and wings & other compartments…special surface materials/treatments…absence of surface ‘suspensions/gaps’…first flight for late December was cancelled(?)…blah…blah…blah…

Some more interesting info from a claimed ‘insider’:

“Ну могу сказать, что рулилась машина 23 декабря. Причем не летный образец, так сказать Т-50-1, а ее наземная модель КНС(как лаборатория), это более точная информация, более сказать не могу, там все круто – в зоне нахождения самолета изымается любая техника. Там даже начальство сухого чуть не задержали за это, что с мобильниками ходят и тд. Машина очень похожа на раптор, но более длинная, низкая – как миги. В ангар куда ее собираются ставить уже турникеты поставили камер наблюдения навешали, все серьезно в общем. При первой легальной возможности, скину вам фотку.”

Quick translation:

“I’m able to say that the aircraft [undertook] taxi trials on 23rd of December. However, this is not the flying prototype, you could call it the T-50-01, and it is a ground-based tech/engineering model (like a lab).This is accurate information- but I am not able to tell you anymore-but all goes well…[security is very tight blah,blah,blah…] The aircraft’s appearance is very similar to the Raptor, but longer [in length] and lower [in profile]…“END.

This corresponds well with another ‘insider’ who claims there will be no first flight (@ KnAAPO) before February, at the earliest. As for appearance, the description “like the F-22 but more streamlined” and “like a squashed frog” are being reported as Sukhoi sourced & accurate by the more credible sectors of the Russian press.

S-37 tests boom refueling?

[ATTACH]179971[/ATTACH]

more:

http://www.sukhoi.org/gallery/?gallery_id=3&cur_gallery_id=3&page=4

Private VIP KnAAPO roll-out? -probably taken place,
Taxi-trials? -possibly…

Russia could start tests of its fifth-generation fighter in late 2009 or early 2010, a deputy prime minister said on Wednesday.

“We are not making any New Year presents, but flight tests will start in the very near future,” said Sergei Ivanov, who oversees the defense sectors of industry.

He said on December 8 the trials would begin in 2010.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20091223/157334042.html
http://www.zeenews.com/news589876.html

Place your bets please Gentlemen…….I wager January 9th 2010 :dev2:

…but you want a modern fighter with state of the art avionics, you best prepare to spend the big bucks on infrastructure and personnel.

Also the personnel have to look like professional killers and drive suspicious looking vans: