'Fifth generation fighter aircraft in 2009'

BANGALORE: The country's 'ambitious' fifth generation fighter aircraft will fly during March next, M Natarajan, scientific advisor to defence minister, said on Saturday.Efforts were on to identify a Russian company to provide weapons and electronic warfare systems, Natarajan, who is also the secretary, Defence Research and Development Organisation, said while participating in the inauguration of the defence avionics research establishment's new campus here.Conceptualisation studies have begun on Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) he said.“We are in the process of evolving a design for MCA”, Natarajan said. LCA has great potential notwithstanding problems, he said and added they were being attended to.DRDO Director R P Ramalingam, in his welcome address, said it will be field testing the fourth generation electronic warfare systems in about 18 months for Mig 27 and LCA.There was also a possibility of extending the tests to fifth generation fighter aircraft, he said.