“It is a light single-engine fighter of the fifth generation, which has no analogues in Russia,” Rostech said when he introduced the machine to the president. According to the company, the aircraft uses innovative solutions and technologies, including the fact that the work of the pilot will be supported by artificial intelligence.
At the same time, the machine also uses solutions that have already been tested in practice. During the presentation, OAK Chief Yuri Sljusar emphasized the possibility of adapting the aircraft to the needs of a specific customer, low operating costs and a wide range of combat options.
According to the data provided by the manufacturer, the planned aircraft should be able to produce up to twice the speed of sound. The stated range is three thousand kilometers and the weight of the combat load is 7400 kilograms. The machine can be modified to an unmanned version or a two-seater model.
The new machine from the Suchoj design office is probably intended for export, but it is not yet clear whether the aircraft is ready for series production, Reuters reported. The video released on the eve of the aerosalon entrusted the machine to pilots from the United Arab Emirates, India, Argentina and Vietnam. According to analyst Oleg Panteleev, the Russian fighter could compete in the market with the American F-35 machine. There is a demand in the world for a lighter and cheaper machine that Russia has not yet offered, and such an aircraft would also be more suitable for smaller states, says the analyst.
According to the manufacturer, the machine, the prototype of which was demonstrated at the Moscow aerosalon, should take off in 2023. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Borisov said on Tuesday that the Checkmate should appear on the foreign market in 2026 at the latest.
Billions into Soviet technology
Under Putin, Russia has invested billions in air force and new weapons for both its own military and efforts to increase arms export revenues. However, many of them still rely on Soviet technologies from the Cold War era, Reuters remarked, reminiscent of Russian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters.
In May this year, a source from the TASS agency informed about the development of a new aircraft, in which the findings from the development of the latest Russian fighter Su-57, equipped with stealth technology, should be applied. This ensures that the aircraft are difficult to detect by radar. Both machines should share a new engine, still codenamed “Product 30”.
The Su-57 fighter was first demonstrated at the aerosalon ten years ago.
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The Moscow Aerosalon takes place from July 20 to 25 at Zhukovsky Airport near the capital. According to the press, a contract is to be signed for the supply of 19 new civilian turboprop aircraft Il-114-300 for an airline operating in the Russian Far East. According to available information, the Il-114-300 aircraft is to replace obsolete Antonov An-24 machines of Ukrainian design on regional routes.
The daily Kommersant described as the main novelty of the aerosalon the demonstration of the developed Russian transport aircraft MS-21 with new Russian engines and a wing made of Russian composites. The machine should compete with Boeing and Airbus aircraft on the most widespread airlines. The manufacturer claims that it already has two hundred orders, although deliveries of the machines are not to begin until next year.
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