On 8 August 2007, Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief (CinC) Alexander Zelin was quoted by Russian news agencies that the programme's development stage was complete and construction of the first aircraft for flight testing would begin, and that by 2009 there would be three fifth-generation aircraft ready.
Pada tanggal 8 Agustus 2007, Alexander Zelin dari Angkatan Udara Rusia melaporkan bahwa pengembangan pesawat jet tempur generasi kelima ini telah memasuki tahap akhir dan prototipe pertama sudah siap untuk melakukan uji coba terbang.