Produced In 2027, Russia's Fifth-generation Fighter Jet Checkmate Takes Into Account The Weaknesses Of US Stealth Aircraft

Sukhoi S-75 Checkmate. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - If there are no changes, the Sukhoi S-75 or Russian Checkmate light fighter jets will begin production in 2027, taking into account the weaknesses of the United States stealth fighter jet.

Work is ongoing on the designer documentation for the Checkmate light fighter jet. Serial production will begin in 2027, Rostec company CEO Sergey Chemezov said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

"We have plans to start serial production in 2027," he said, launching TASS May 18

He explained that so far a prototype has been made and designer documentation is being developed.

"We borrowed onboard equipment and engines from the fifth-generation fighter Sukhoi-57, but reconfigureed it a bit," Chemezov said, adding that Rostec built the plane with its own money without using budget funds.

Interestingly, the developers of Russia's state-of-the-art single-engine Checkmate fighter took into account and corrected the weaknesses of the United States' Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth aircraft, according to the patent text published by the Federal Intellectual Property Service.

The patent compares the Checkmate aircraft to its US counterpart the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk, which features low radar visibility.

Sukhoi S-75 Checkmate. (Wikimedia Commons/Mztourist)

"This aircraft had a number of drawbacks such as poor takeoff and landing characteristics, as well as inadequate stability and controllability in flight," the patent reads.

The task of the Checkmate developers was to eliminate the shortcomings of other known aircraft of this class.

"The technical result of this invention is the achievement of greater stability and controllability of the aircraft, without compromising the invisible characteristics of the radar," the statement continued.

The F-117 is a US single-seat subsonic tactical attack stealth aircraft from Lockheed Martin. The aircraft is designed for covert penetration through enemy air defense systems, as well as strikes against strategically important ground targets. In 2008, all aircraft of this type were withdrawn from service for financial reasons. His successor was the F-22 Raptor.

The F-117 has low visibility mainly due to the specific angular shape of the hull composite and special radar-absorbing and coating materials. Meanwhile, Checkmate incorporates all the most advanced technologies and ideas, including an open architecture that can be tailored to customer needs and unique artificial intelligence features.

The Checkmate offers low visibility technology and is equipped with compartments in the fuselage for air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons. Its payload exceeds seven tons. Capable of hitting six targets at once, the single-engined aircraft's speed is Mach 1.8 and combat radius, 3,000 kilometers.

To note, Checkmate was presented for the first time at the MAKS-2021 air show. His foreign presentations were followed at the 2021 Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates. Checkmate's maiden flight is scheduled for 2023.