United Aircraft Corporation, part of the Russian state corporation Rostec, released a teaser for its new fighter today. It will be presented on July 20 on the first day of the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS 2021, to be held at the Zhukovsky Airport in Moscow.
In this regard, a Rostec spokesperson commented that «Russia is one of the few countries in the world with a full-cycle production capacity for next-generation aircraft. The new product developed by UAC specialists should arouse interest not only in our country but also also in various regions of the world.»
In the video presentation of the plane different actors in various places receiving notifications on their phones can be seen. Among them, and as a curiosity, a person is seen standing on a mountain and the subtitles indicate «Andes, Argentina», which is interpreted as a possible wink to the Argentine Air Force. Other locations shown are Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Hanoi (Vietnam) and Delhi, India.
Design information
Plans to develop a lightweight counterpart to the Sukhoi Su-57 were first announced in 2017 by Russian Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov. Sergei Chemezov, director of Rostec, revealed in December 2020 that Sukhoi was working on such a plane. That month a model of an unknown single-engine fighter jet was seen in a photo of Chemezov’s desk, speculated to show the nose section of the aircraft under development.
Из интервью заместителя председателя правительства Российской Федерации по вопросам оборонно-промышленного комплекса Юрия Борисова.
За наводку спасибо @charly0153
Ссылка: https://t.co/KtFCXZ1jmn pic.twitter.com/rEBNkWNQ70
— SwankyStas (@StasSwanky) December 22, 2020
The new Russian fighter «supersonic capability and low radar signature,» an industry source told Russia’s TASS news agency. The project is known as «Checkmate» and could be mainly export-oriented. According to TASS, it will weigh less than 18 tons and be capable of Mach 2, will be powered by a single engine and will have a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1. The platform will feature thrust vectoring, super maneuverability and a low radar signature. It will also be «crew optional», which means that the aircraft will be able to be controlled remotely. Information on the project schedule or costs is not currently known.
