The Mikoyan Project 1.44/1.42 (; NATO reporting name: Flatpack) was a multirole fighter technology demonstrator developed by the Mikoyan design bureau. It was designed for the Soviet Union's MFI (Mnogofunksionalni Frontovoy Istrebitel, "Multifunctional Frontline Fighter") project for the I-90 ("1990s fighter") program, the answer to the U.S.'s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF). The MFI was to incorporate many fifth-generation jet fighter features such as supermaneuverability, supercruise, and advanced avionics, as well as some degree of radar signature reduction. The design's development was a protracted one, characterised by repeated and lengthy postponements due to a chronic lack of funds after the collapse of the Soviet Union; the MiG 1.44 made its maiden flight in February 2000, nine years behind schedule, and was cancelled later that year. The MFI project was replaced by the more modern and affordable PAK FA program, which resulted in the Sukhoi Su-57. Development Preliminary design The MiG 1.44 had its origins in the early 1980s, when the U.S. Air Force began developing a successor to the F-15 Eagle under the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) project, which would eventually result in the supermaneuverable and stealthy, albeit costly, F-22 Raptor that first flew in 1997. Consequently, the Soviet government tasked its fighter design bureaus the job of developing a fighter with which to counter the perceived American threat, and replace the Sukhoi Su-27. In 1983, the project was formally approved as the I-90 (, ); at this time, the attributes of the next generation of fighter aircraft were still not well defined, and the Soviet direction emphasized supermaneuverability at high angles-of-attack, increased supersonic endurance, and "multifunctionality", or multirole capability. Mikoyan occupied itself with two concurrent projects, one of which focused on a heavy multirole design designated MFI, the other a light tactical fighter named LFI (Lyogkiy Frontovoy Istrebitel, "Light Frontline Fighter"). To minimise costs, both designs were to share as many components as possible. However, as the research and development phase for the two projects progressed, costs escalated due to the complexity normally associated with advanced aircraft projects. As a result, the Soviet government created the Combined Task Programme in 1983 with the aim of maximising efficiency and developing technologies to be used for all classes of aircraft. Mikoyan became the primary contractor for the programme, the importance of which was illustrated with its inclusion into the Soviet five-year economic plan. The design bureau soon formulated initial specifications for the