![]() ![]() ![]() On the international market the Checkmate is bound to compete with both the F-35 and the FC-31, as well as several upcoming fifth-generation fighter jets, such as the Indian HAL AMCA. Similarly, it is expected that the Chinese Shenyang FC-31 Gyrfalcon is going to be adopted to supplement the heavier Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II was conceived as a single-engine counterpart to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, with which the Su-57 is often compared. Latest fifth-generation fighter jets appear to follow this pattern to some extent. A duo of the Su-27 and the MiG-29 composed the bulk of Soviet and later Russian fighter jet fleet, while the US Air Force employed the McDonnell Douglas F-15 and the General Dynamics F-16 in a similar manner. Rostec is a state-owned conglomerate which controls much of the country’s aviation industry, including United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and its subsidiaries Sukhoi, MiG, and others.Īs advertised, the Checkmate is expected to be a lighter, more affordable alternative to the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon, Russia’s first fifth-generation fighter jet which saw first deliveries to the Russian Air Force in late 2020.Ī scheme of deploying a heavier fighter aircraft in smaller numbers and supplementing it with a different, lighter model was widely employed in the previous generation. Rostec’s market analysis shows that 300 such jets may be manufactured and sold, Rostec’s CEO said, although no negotiations have been started so far. According to Slyusar, “75” was selected as a reversed “57”, showing the supplemental role of the aircraft (in relation to the Su-57), as well as because 7 and 5 are lucky numbers for Sukhoi.Īccording to Slyusar, the aircraft is expected to be purchased by Asian, Middle-Easter, African, European and Latin American states that look for an affordable alternative to existing fifth-generation single-engine fighter jets. It has been speculated that the aircraft could be manufactured by MiG instead of Sukhoi, or that its designation is going to be Su-75, as per the fuselage number seen on the mockup. The new aircraft has been at the center of an intense publicity campaign, with numerous teaser trailers and cryptic tweets released by Rostec and its subsidiaries through the last week. The mass production of Izdelye 30 is slated for the mid-2020s. The jet is most likely going to be powered by the so-called Izdelye 30, an upcoming turbofan engine currently under development by Saturn, a subsidiary of Russia’s United Engine Corporation. The manufacturer also claims that the jet is equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence system which acts as a “copilot”, as well as features high modularity and thus can be easily developed into different versions, such as twin-seat and unmanned, depending on the requirements of a client. ![]() According to Rostec, maximum speed of the aircraft is Mach 1.8, the range is 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles), and the payload capacity is 7,400 kilograms (16,300 pounds). The Checkmate is going to be a fifth-generation single-engine supersonic fighter jet with stealth features, internal weapon bays, and short take-off capability. Slyusar explained that the development was an initiative of Rostec, using company’s own finances. No further information regarding the deadlines was revealed, although Russian media reports that there are plans to perform the maiden flight by 2023 and start deliveries in 2026. The aircraft has also not been purchased by the Russian military, which explains the lack of a model number. However, it’s worth remembering that for the moment, the aircraft is just what is is: a mock up.Īs already explained in our first article on the type, the concept might be designed for the export market and this would be the reason why Rostec released an ad teasing the jet that clearly pointed to UAE, India, Vietnam and Argentina as potential customers.According to the manufacturer, the aircraft is already prepared for testing, which may mean that a prototype is either manufactured or is going to be prepared in the near future. Interestingly, the aircraft seems to have a side bay that might be similar to the side weapons bay of the Su-57 Felon.īesides the digitized camouflage, one interesting thing is the registration, RF-00075 with bort number 75 Blue, that seems to point towards the designation Su-75 for the new type. We already knew it is going to be a single engine aircraft with canted tails now we can clearly see that is going to be a single seater featuring a delta wing and a ventral inlet (whose shape and position reminds the one of the X-32 prototype). Composite image showing the CheckMate (Alex Snow via A. Our contributor Alex Snow worked on a composite image based on the photos Rupprecht found on a Forum and created a single, wide view of the “CheckMate” that allows us to gather additional details about the mock-up and the design concepts it embeds. ![]()
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