- Unveils the new fifth generation fighter jet at MAKS 2021
By Sangeeta Saxena
Zhukosky, Moscow. 21 July 2021. It was amidst fanfare and an air of expectancy with a dash of glamour added by the presence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, that Russia unveiled its new fifth-generation lightweight single-engine fighter jet at MAKS-2021.
Named Checkmate appropriately by Rostec, the state-owned Russian military major, the new fighter jet combines innovative solutions and technologies with low visibility and high flight performance and is a fighter prototype that is unique and has not been developed in Russia before, stated the head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, and the general director of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Yury Slyusar, while presenting the warplane to President Putin at the exhibition pavilion of the Sukhoi company.
Putin pumped the spirits of the Russia’s aviation industry in a speech at the air show’s opening , by exhorting, “What we see today in Zhukovsky clearly shows that Russian aviation has great potential for development, and our aircraft industry continues to create new competitive aircraft”.
“Russia is one of the few countries in the world with full-cycle capacities for producing advanced aircraft systems, as well as a recognized trendsetter in the creation of combat aircraft. The new product developed by UAC specialists should arouse genuine interest not only in our country, but also in other regions of the world, including our competitors abroad”, said the Rostec spokesman. Its first flight is expected in 2023 and deliveries are expected to begin in 2026-2027.
What is interesting is a 75 written on the body of the aircraft. On asking what it meant, the interesting reveleation was that the aircraft will be nomenclature Su-75. The created in the OKB named after PO Sukhoi . The aircraft is being developed for delivery to the Russian Aerospace Forces , as well as for export to the countries of the Middle East, Asia-Pacific region, Latin America and India , as a multifunctional platform of a new generation, which is distinguished by the ability to adapt to the needs of a particular customer , and as an alternative to the Su-57 heavy fighter .
Rostec informed that the jet will initially be aerial combat, and adaptations for ground attack, anti-ship, and reconnaissance will follow. They explained that the aerodynamic shape will give it better stealth than existing lightweight fighters. The design of the prototype took one year by the use of supercomputer technology.
According to Sergei Chemezov , as stated in the open medium the cost of the aircraft will be in the range of 25-30 million dollars , which is a very competitive price in the world market. The cost of a flight hour of the Su-75 is expected to be “six to seven times lower than that of the F-35 (33-35 thousand dollars), and is comparable to the Gripen NG (from 4.5 thousand to 8 thousand dollars, depending on version).
Flight performance
The characteristics given below are in part calculated (assumed) . Some of the characteristics were published during the presentation at MAKS-2021.
Specifications
Crew : 1 person, 2 people, unmanned
Flight characteristics
- Maximum non-afterburner speed: 1.8 M
- Maximum operational overload: 8 units.
- Practical range:
- 2800 km
- Service ceiling : 16,500 m
Armament
- Combat load: 7400 kg
- Air to air :
- RVV-MD
- Air to air :
The world got a sneak-peek on the latest in military aviation fighter jet front and MAKS 2021 a theme , with Su-75 popularly called Checkmate’s unveiling in Moscow in front of a global audience. Surely this must have got a lot of air forces of the world’s eyeballs.
