let's take a look at russia's newest planned fighter the su-75 checkmate
revealed to the world of the 2021 makos air show the sukhoi su-75 checkmate is
a planned single engine 5th generation stealth fighter for the russian air force
and as an export option for russia's allies internally the fighter is designated as the t-75
sukhoi intentionally chose the nickname checkmate for his fighter since it feels that it can provide
a competitor to the f-35 at fourth generation prices is this possible only time will tell the
model revealed that the airshow is essentially an early engineering prototype today we will take a
look at what we know about the checkmate including some interesting design inspirations its reported
capabilities and which nations might consider adopting the checkmate as their frontline fighter
before we go any further keep in mind that this aircraft is still very much under development
and the data presented here are from publicly available sources if information changes or you
have access to more current information let me know in the comments below airframe a prominent
feature of the checkmate is the wraparound angular ventral inlet which shares commonality with the
divertless supersonic inlet or dsi which was used in the boeing x32 the dsi eliminates the need
for a splitter plate which would normally help control the airflow into the engine
the use of a dsi is said to require less applications of radar absorbing materials thereby
reducing costs additionally to help maintain the checkmate's stealth profile the engine fan blades
are concealed from radar emissions by making use of a curved ducted design for the air intake
current speculation is that this curve is s-shaped to allow for room for the internal weapons bay
another feature of the checkmate is its use of rudder vaders which are similar to the ones that
were used in the yf23 black widow the use of runner vaders can also help keep costs low by
eliminating the need for separate vertical and horizontal stabilizers with moving rudders and
elevators it is important to note that since the checkmate incorporates runner vaders
advanced flight control systems will need to be developed by sukhoi as neither the
su-35 flanker e or su-57 felon use this control setup the wings of the checkmate are large which
provide high lift efficiency and is similar in design philosophy to the su-57 indicating that
russia's preference for super maneuverability seems to be incorporated into the design
and lastly along with a single seat checkmate sukhoi plans to make a dual seat version and a
pilotless drone version which will be flown to some degree by artificial intelligence armament
to maintain its self-profile the checkmate will carry its missiles in internal weapons bays
currently the maximum payload is stated to be about 16 000 pounds similar to the f-22 raptor
the checkmate appears to have small weapons based on the sides of the fuselage which likely will
house short-range heat-seeking air-to-air missiles additionally a larger bay is located underneath
the fuselage which can house medium to long-range air-to-air missiles or air-to-ground ordnance
possibly even cruise missiles for non-stealthy missions external underwing hardpoints can be
equipped and could mount larger weapons such as anti-ship or even hypersonic missiles
and given its open architecture design along with its intention of being an export fighter
the checkmate could carry non-russian weapons and integrate them into its fire control systems
sensors although exact details of the checkmate's cockpit are still somewhat unknown
reports indicate that the cockpit layout is similar to that of the su-57
which features a glass cockpit and two 15-inch multi-function lcd displays
additionally a wide angle 30 degree by 22 degree heads-up display or hud is incorporated
the use of a hud is interesting many have already compared the checkmate to lockheed's f-35
lightning however the f-35 does not incorporate a hud instead a helmet-mounted display system
or hmds is used which allows lightning pilots to view flight and combat data at all times
when it comes to radar the checkmate is designed with an active phased array radar to control costs
a low-cost actively electronically scanned array or aesa radar is also in development
designers at sukhoi say that this radar system will be able to simultaneously track up to 30
targets and engage six of them additionally the checkmate will reportedly make use of the 101 ksv
infrared search and track or irst system since irst systems do not emit radiation on their own
they are passive and as a result are more difficult to detect to keep maintenance
costs low the matrioshka automated logistics support system will use ai-based planning for
repair and maintenance functions this system is similar to the f-35s odin maintenance system
it is interesting to point out that the russian system is named after the famous
wooden nested dolls which apparently also symbolize the modularity of the checkmate
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don't hesitate sign up lock on and engage engine few people realize that one of the more difficult
parts of fighter development and construction is the aircraft's engines it takes massive amounts
of engineering material science and quality control to produce a high performance jet engine
in this regard russia and china have both struggled with advanced jet engine designs
early reports indicate that the engine to be used in the checkmate will be the nop saturn is delay
30. similar to the ones used in the su-57m variant these dla-30 is intended to be about
30 percent lighter than its predecessor with about 20 percent more output the planned thrust range is
23 000 pounds of thrust dry and 38 600 pounds with afterburner for comparison the f-35s pratt whitney
f-135 pw100 engine puts out 43 000 pounds of thrust with afterburner continuing with russia's
emphasis on super maneuverability the checkmates d-link 30 engine will feature 3d thrust vectoring
one interesting note the checkmate is russia's first single-engine fighter since the mig-23
specifications as of the making of this video here are the reported specifications for the checkmate
maximum speed mach 1.8 combat radius 930 miles ferry range 1 800 miles
maximum load 16 000 pounds service ceiling 40 000 feet g limits positive eight g's
first flight planned for 2023
test airframes planned for 2024 through 2025. initial entry into service planned for 2026
unit costs under 30 million dollars estimated production run up to 300 planes over 15 years
export options as mentioned previously the checkmate uses a complete open architecture
which means that customers can install russian domestic and foreign systems in the fighter
as for which countries may be interested in the checkmate
according to deputy prime minister yuri borisov at the max 21 international aviation expo
quote firstly the aircraft will be oriented toward african countries india and vietnam
end quote additionally there appears to be interest from turkey iran and argentina
it is speculated that sukhoi would be willing to allow joint under license production
meaning that a customer who purchased the fighter in large numbers would be allowed to construct at
least some of the components locally competition wise given the reported price point the checkmate
would likely go up against saab's gripen or the chinese shenggang j-35 the carrier or
naval version of the checkmate would likely be of interest to india who is currently operating the
mig-29k india also appears to be an early favorite to adopt the checkmate as they had previously
invested in the su-57 felon and are looking for an additional fighter in large numbers to augment
their homegrown taija's multirole fighter india is the world's fourth largest air force currently
operating over 670 active combat aircraft many of which are russian jets essentially russia hopes
the checkmate can be the 21st century version of the mig-21 bed an effective and affordable
aircraft that other nations can operate in large numbers and speaking of the fishbed over the years
india has acquired some 800 mig-21s arguably forming the backbone of the indian air force
challenges while the mock-up and reported specifications of the checkmate are impressive
there is no guarantee that it will reach full production status success of the checkmate will
largely depend on foreign customers placing and keeping orders for the aircraft thereby investing
hard currency into the program currently sukhoi is developing the checkmate with internal funds
additionally the composite materials needed to produce the checkmate are another question mark
sukhoi has stated that it would take at least a year to complete static testing of the aircraft
structure and this will present a challenge to russia's composite materials industry
which is not as developed as those in the us or europe the saturn is dli 30 engine is not yet in
production and still undergoing flight tests the engine which as mentioned previously is also to
be used in the su-57 felon has been plagued by technical and material issues in fact current
su-57s are being flown with the lower performing and not designed for stealth saturn al41
f1 engines the al-41s are the same engines found on the fourth generation su-35s this is important
since if the checkmate is to be a true fifth generation stealth fighter these zlat30 must be
incorporated into the production versions from day one to satisfy potential export customers
one needs only to look at the continued delays in the su-57 felon with repeated pushbacks each year
as to when it will reach full production status and lastly as those of us who have
followed the development and evolution of the f-35 cost overruns and delays are highly likely
anytime a new technology or design is implemented there will be unforeseen obstacles to overcome
the challenge for the f-35 was to be an air-to-everything dominance fighter platform
the challenge for the checkmate appears to be to deliver 5th generation capabilities at 4th
generation prices conclusions with a planned service entry in 2026 it will be interesting to
see how the checkmate develops while not likely as advanced as the f-35 the checkmate does offer some
5th generation capabilities to nations that could otherwise not afford to field a stealth aircraft
in large numbers as we learn more about the su-75 i'll be sure to produce ongoing update videos
and track its progress what do you think does a checkmate appear to be an effective 5th generation
fighter will the cost remain at 30 million dollars per copy let me know in the comments below
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