19FortyFive stated that the Russian PAK DA is fake and made of wood
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA), created by Russia, may never take off, said Brent Eastwood, a columnist for the American publication 19FortyFive.
“Last summer, Russian state media reported that a demonstration prototype of the PAK DA would be ready by 2023. The news also mentioned that the planned stealth bomber would be surrounded by a swarm of drones and would even be capable of launching hypersonic weapons. This bragging should be considered premature, since there is not much evidence that the plane is real,” the author said.
The publication claims that the full-size mock-up of the PAK DA can be “made of wood”, which “is another reason to doubt that the aircraft will soon become a flight technology demonstration model.”
“Five years from a wooden prototype without a finished engine [to a fully finished aircraft in 2027] is too much. Most likely, the stealth bomber will not be ready until 2030. It is significant to study the Russian Su-57 stealth fighter program in order to predict how PAK DA will behave,” the author writes.
Meanwhile, the observer admits that little is officially known about the promising strategic bomber. “If it is built by the end of the decade and put into operation, it will have advantages such as long-range missiles threatening NATO, the ability to evade radars in difficult conditions and the launch of hypersonic missiles,” Eastwood suggests.
In December 2021, the first deputy chairman of the Board of the Military-Industrial Commission (MIC) of Russia Andrey Yelchaninov said that the PAK DA will enter service in the period from 2024 to 2033.
In August of the same year, TASS, citing a source in the aircraft industry, reported that a demonstration sample of the Russian PAK DA will be assembled by 2023.
