Is Russia's New War-Plane Just A Propaganda Piece?

David Axe, Daily Beast: Putin’s New Stealth Jet Is on a Mission: To Prove Russia Can Still Fight

Not that long ago, Russia’s air force was all but wrecked. Now the Kremlin’s most advanced warplane is soaring over the seized territory of Crimea.

Russia’s new stealth fighter made an eyebrow-raising surprise appearance on June 5—soaring over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow ripped from Ukraine in early 2014.

The T-50—Russia’s answer to the U.S. Air Force’s F-22—is far from war-ready. Indeed, the twin-engine, radar-evading warplane is suffering such serious design, quality-control, and financing problems that it might never enter frontline service in large numbers.

But practical realities may very well be beside the point. The T-50’s flights over territory that once belonged to Russia’s bitter rival Ukraine sends an apparently powerful message, albeit one that doesn’t necessarily hold up to close scrutiny.

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WNU Editor: I have been reading the same sceptical reports on Russia's T-50 jet on Russian social media. Like the F-35 .... there are problems. But the question still remains unanswered .... can they solve it ... and if so .... when. No one has given answers yet.