MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS. Russia’s state-of-the-art Checkmate fighter developed by the Sukhoi Company (part of the United Aircraft Corporation within the state tech corporation Rostec) is ranked among the world’s 2021 top ten military aircraft achievements, according to a report released by the US-based Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine and obtained by TASS on Monday.

As the findings show, Russia’s Checkmate is ranked among the top 2021 milestones in military aircraft innovation along with a debut flight by the ‘loyal wingman’ aircraft and the first air-to-air refueling mission conducted by an unmanned aerial refueling tanker.

The Checkmate light tactical fighter is scheduled to take to the skies in 2023 and its serial production is due to begin in 2025, the magazine said.

Checkmate fighter

Russia’s state tech corporation Rostec unveiled the latest domestic single-engine fighter dubbed Checkmate at the MAKS-2021 international air show in the suburban town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow. The new plane created by Rostec at its own initiative, is a derivative of the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter. The cutting-edge fighter’s foreign rollout was held at the Dubai Airshow 2021 in the United Arab Emirates.

The Checkmate incorporates the latest systems, including its open architecture configuration to meet the customer’s requirements and unique artificial intelligence technologies.

The new single-engine fighter is based on stealth technology and is outfitted with an inboard compartment for airborne air-to-air and air-to-surface armaments. The fighter will carry a payload of over seven tonnes and will be capable of striking up to six targets at a time.

The Checkmate fighter will be capable of flying at Mach 1.8 (1.8 times the speed of sound) and will have an operating range of 3,000 km. This trailblazing jet will be outfitted with a highly efficient powerplant, and is expected to take to the skies in 2023. Furthermore, Rostec plans to launch the combat plane’s serial production starting in 2026.

Russia’s newest, state-of-the-art fighter is expected to compete with America’s F-35A Lightning II and Sweden’s JAS-39 Gripen.