Russia’s Su-75 “Checkmate” made a transition from being one of the most hype-filled nicknames in recent aero history to being the subject of acrimonious disputes about its performance within incredibly short time spans. On its maiden flight at the MAKS-2021 Air Show, the aircraft demonstrated pomp and confidence that it would deliver fifth-generation capability at a fraction of Western fighter production cost. It has made its debut recently in performances like the Dubai Airshow, where it was officially unveiled as a state-of-the-art but affordable option costing around $30 million—a price that is sure to be appealing for countries that cannot or will not pay for the likes of the F-35.
At first sight, the Checkmate is a bargain. Marketing brochures guarantee up to almost Mach 1.8 top speeds, combat radius of up to 1,900 miles, and internal payload of over seven tons—hype over theory-beating stealth fighter such as F-22. News reports also speak of cutting-edge avionics, data-linked combat, and even artificial intelligence to assist the pilot in low-workload conditions. For air forces that are pulled thin on budgetary concerns, it is the salesman’s dream.
It is expected to result in a family of versions: single-seater, twin-seater, and drone versions. The aircraft has been termed by designers as a modular one that can be easily transformed to serve a variety of buyers. Director of United Aircraft Corporation Sergey Korotkov has termed the aircraft as an exciting project, test and production plans said to be in hand.
Its greatest question mark is whether it will be stealth-classified. Where marketed as a fifth-generation design, actual stealth is more than noses cut and gun bays plugged. It’s state-of-the-art coating, high-technology precision fabrication, and ruthlessly limited manufacturing processes—characteristics costly and difficult to counterfeit.
Spotters look for corners chopped, i.e., the plane won’t be quite as stealthy in certain quarters as the overall low observability afforded its American rivals. Even Russia’s government itself stipulated that the plane would be safer beyond most protected airspace, i.e., its likely extent.
That’s a reasonable compromise as a cost, but it’s a question of how much competition the Checkmate would face from highly committed stealth fighters. The airplane is being cut to the bone in the best sense of belt-tightening, and that might well make the airplane more detectable with next-generation radar than customers would like.
The ride to seeing the jet fly in the air has been less than smooth. Competing military needs have drawn the funds away from it, and sanctions have proven challenging to finance and provide. The initial timeline was to see the prototype fly in 2023, but that deadline was years ago, and most of the estimates pushed the date back at least to 2025. With talk of development-sounding rumors, the reality is that the Checkmate is still a prototype, nd no production order has been made.
But Russia has been actively marketing the airplane in international markets and selling Middle East, African, and Asian buyers a lower-cost alternative to pricey fighters. India and Nigeria were cited as possible customers, and transfer of technology and co-development offers were being employed in efforts to secure orders from them. None have yet materialized. Target customers are uncertain, and political risk, cost exposure, or fear of delivery of the plane whatsoever is on their minds.
The promo spree has been crazy and occasionally off-this-world, with glitter demo stands and even trendy trim such as logo scents distributed during expo sessions. But the public spectacle conceals the actual job: turning a looker into a functional, export-grade warplane. That involves cash, quality allies, and an industry center with the capability that can match rising standards—challenges still daunting.
If the Su-75 is as good as touted, it can even get a reasonable niche for countries requiring modern capability at not excessive prices. But if schedules are delayed further and tech and pricing problems are addressed, the Checkmate might be the next on the long list of blue-sky concepts that never got beyond the show window.
And though it is also a recognition of dreams, and a reminder that it’s not even remotely such a facile task as pulling out some cheap stealth fighter from the drawing board. It is high-flying dreams and hard-boiled realities, an odyssey that teases on the razor’s edge between bombastic hucksterism and the much more difficult chore of flying blueprints as functional combat wings.