The former head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov, stated in November 2023 that the creation of a prototype of the single-engine Su-75 Checkmate fighter is possible by the end of 2025. As of August, there is no information about it. "Perviy Technicheskiy" decided to refresh your memory and tell you what is known about the new combat vehicle at the moment.
Stealth Aircraft
The Checkmate, developed by the Sukhoi enterprise (part of the United Aircraft Corporation), was first presented at the MAKS-2021 air show. The aircraft is equipped with an internal bay for air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons and is made using stealth technologies.
I expect that the creation of the first Checkmate prototype will occur before the end of 2025. And I can say that over these [past] two years, we have collected requests. We have also made certain adjustments to the project to ensure that it is as adapted as possible to customer requests.
The head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, also clarified that the Checkmate is more economically advantageous and cheaper than the American F-35 Lightning II. The cost of Russian aircraft was estimated at approximately $35 million.
Three Different Versions
Two years ago, the United Aircraft Corporation was working on three new modifications of the Su-75 Checkmate: unmanned, single-seat, and two-seat. At that time, the creation of a "light tactical aircraft" was patented, which can be transported in the cargo compartment of a transport aircraft due to the possibility of easy detachment of individual elements.
The shape of the aircraft in the diagrams matched the Su-75. The document noted that the design features of the model would provide it with a "significant reduction in the effective scattering surface (ESR), which reduces radar visibility."
What Are the Characteristics?
The speed of the Checkmate will be from 1.8 to 2.0 Mach, the flight range is up to 3000 km, the maximum weight of the combat load is 7400 kg, the practical ceiling is 16.5 km, the maximum operational overload is 8 units.
Will Production Move to Belarus?
In May 2025, the chairman of the Belarusian State Military-Industrial Committee (SMIC), Dmitry Pantus, noted that specialists had begun to work with the Russian side on the possibility of joint production of the latest Su-75 Checkmate fighters.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that footage appeared of tests of the laser air defense system of the "Posokh" project.
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