The promising Russian 5th generation fighter Su-75 Checkmate may face limitations not only due to its aerodynamic design, but also due to its thrust-to-weight ratio. This opinion was expressed in an article, which became available to "Pervyy Tekhnicheskiy", by Nikolay Chikunov, a design engineer at the A. I. Mikoyan Design Bureau.
According to his assessment, even the appearance of a new engine will not allow the aircraft to reach the level of a number of modern fighters.
Even if we assume that the "Izdelie 30" engine will someday appear and be brought to a working condition... The thrust-to-weight ratio of the Checkmate in the variant with normal take-off weight will not exceed 0.8–0.85.
Chikunov added that a high thrust-to-weight ratio is important not only for close-range air combat. It affects acceleration, take-off characteristics, maneuverability, and the aircraft's ability to perform anti-missile maneuvers.
It should be noted that for the Su-75 Checkmate, power plants with a maximum afterburner thrust from 14,500 to 18,000 kgf are declared.
With a take-off weight of the Su-75 Checkmate around 18 tons, even the maximum afterburner of the "Izdelie 30" with 18,000 kgf is mathematically only enough for a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.0 in ideal conditions of an empty or lightly loaded aircraft.
However, with a normal take-off weight with fuel and full internal weapon bays, the actual thrust-to-weight ratio drops to 0.8–0.85, which is what Chikunov is talking about.
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