The new Russian 5th generation fighter, the Su-57 Checkmate, is very cheap, half the price of China’s FC-31 (J-31) stealth fighter. Even the price of Su-75 is less than Indian Tejas MK1 aircraft.
According to the American newspaper Defense World, at the last Moscow Air Show 2021 (MAKS 2021), Russia launched a new 5th generation fighter aircraft Su-75 Checkmate. The Su-75 can become the main competitor of the FC-31 stealth fighter in the international arms market. Even if you consider it will give tough competition to all single engine fighter in International market.
According to the American newspaper Defense World, at the last Moscow Air Show 2021 (MAKS 2021), Russia launched a new 5th generation fighter aircraft Su-75 Checkmate. The Su-75 can become the main competitor of the FC-31 stealth fighter in the international arms market.
The Russian company Sukhoi develops the Su-75 fighter based on the light tactical aircraft project. Defense experts believe that the Su-75 will become a direct competitor of the FC-31 medium-sized stealth fighter developed by China’s Shenyang company in the global military aircraft market. The FC-31 fighter made test flights eight years ago, and at least two to three prototypes were produced. In terms of progress, FC-31 is one step ahead of Su-75 Checkmate. However, with Sukhoi’s ability, it is unlikely that FC-31 will be available in the international market before the Su-75 Checkmate. Russia’s Su-75 Checkmate fifth-generation single-engine stealth fighter, with a top speed of Mach 1.8 to Mach 2; Flight range 3,000 km and payload 7,400 kg. The prototype is expected to fly for the first time in 2023, and deliveries will begin in 2026.
While The FC-31 medium twin-engine fifth-generation fighter has a maximum take-off weight of 28 tons and engine thrust of 24 tons. The maximum operating radius is about 1,250 km.
The price of the Su-75 fighter is also very attractive, according to information, the price of this aircraft is only 25-30 million USD. On the other hand, the price of each FC-31 is expected to be around $70 million, which is not a low price, for a Chinese-made fighter.
The ‘Checkmate’ is priced attractively between Rs 186-224 crore apiece (25-30 million), much lower than even the indigenous LCA Tejas Mk-I at Rs 309 crore (42 milliom) and its trainer version at Rs 280 crore. The price works favourably even when compared with the high-tech, but four-and-a-half generation French Rafale air fighter which India has bought at Rs 1,638 crore a piece.
The Su-75 Checkmate fighter can also have an unmanned and two-seat version. Russian officials claim that the Su-75 Checkmate will compete with the US F-35 as well as the new Chinese fighter and other competitors in the international market.
Aviation experts say that, from an aerodynamic design perspective, the Su-75 Checkmate seems to have superior stealth capabilities than the Su-57, helping it to better evade enemy radar detection.
According to the US media outlet “Military Observation”, the Su-75 Checkmate uses a design with two vertical tails, tilted outwards in a V-shape, very similar to the layout of the tail wings of the F-35; and like the F-35, the Su-75 is equipped with only one engine.
Likely, the Su-75 Checkmate will be the lightest of the 5th generation fighters, about the same weight as the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen and the JF-17 Fierce Dragon. jointly developed by China and Pakistan.
But single-engine fighters usually make up a small fraction of the total number of fighters produced in the world today. Compared to twin-engine fighter aircraft, the cost of building a single-engine aircraft is lower, maintenance requirements and operating costs are also lower.
The Su-75 Check-in fighter is expected to face competitors in the export market, and its main competitor will be the US F-35A. But the Su-75 Checkmate will have the maneuverability that the F-35 does not have, and the design and use costs are also lower.
According to Russian media Some of the main potential customers of the Su-75 Checkmate fighter include Egypt, Iran, India, Vietnam, Belarus and several other countries in Africa.
These countries all have a large number of traditional light or medium fighters, including the F-16, F-4, Mirage 2000 and MiG-29 fighters; or have a tradition of using Soviet/Russian fighters.
For several reasons, the Su-75 Checkmate may be more attractive as a replacement for the MiG-29. The operating costs and maintenance requirements of the Su-75 Checkmate are likely to be lower than that of the MiG-29.
Some Soviet republics such as Belarus, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan as well as countries such as India, Iran, Syria, Serbia are still using MiG-29 fighters. These countries also have the ability to use the Su-75 Checkmate to replace the aging MiG-29 aircraft.
