ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. Russia’s fifth-generation Su-75 Checkmate single-engine fighter is set to perform its debut flight in 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told reporters at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.
Previous reports suggested that the state-of-the-art Checkmate fighter was scheduled to perform its debut flight in 2023.
"The first flight in 2025," Borisov said, adding that it normally took 18-24 months between the debut flight and the serial production.
Head of the state tech corporation Rostec Sergey Chemezov earlier said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the serial production of the Checkmate light tactical fighter would begin in 2027. Currently, Russian specialists are working out the fighter’s design documentation and have engineered its first prototype, he added.
Rostec is developing the Checkmate fighter using its own funds, without federal budget financing, he emphasized.
Checkmate fighter
Russia’s state tech corporation Rostec unveiled the latest domestic single-engine fighter dubbed Checkmate at the MAKS-2021 international airshow that ran in the suburban town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow. The fighter’s presentation abroad was held at the Dubai Airshow 2021 in the United Arab Emirates. The new plane created by Rostec at its own initiative, is a derivative of the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter.
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 7 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. The aircraft will be outfitted with a highly efficient powerplant.
Russia’s latest, cutting-edge fighter is expected to compete with America’s F-35A Lightning II and Sweden’s JAS-39 Gripen. The Checkmate incorporates the latest systems, including its open architecture configuration to meet the customer’s requirements and unique artificial intelligence technologies.