Russia’s defense industry has started the construction of a prototype of a fifth-generation combat aircraft, the Air Force commander said Wednesday.

A Russian-Indian advanced multirole fighter is being developed by Sukhoi, which is part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, under an intergovernmental agreement signed in October.

“At present, we have prepared detailed work design documentation for the fifth-generation aircraft,” Colonel General Alexander Zelin said. “The documentation has been passed to the manufacturer and it has begun the construction of the prototype.“

The new fighter aircraft, which will feature high maneuverability and stealth to ensure air superiority and precision in destroying ground and sea targets, will be built at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft-manufacturing plant in Russia’s Far East.

Flight tests of the fifth-generation fighter will begin as early as 2009 and mass production of the aircraft may start by 2015, the Sukhoi aircraft maker earlier said.