The cost of a flight hour of a promising Russian light tactical aircraft (LTS), known as Checkmate and Su-75, will be seven times lower than that of the American fifth-generation fighter F-35 Lightning II, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov told the French newspaper Le Figaro.
The head, assessing the characteristics of the aircraft, called the American aircraft the main competitor of the Russian one. "Our aircraft is more economically profitable than [the American one]. Let me remind you that the cost of a Checkmate flight hour is seven times lower than that of the F-35," the head of the state corporation said.
The main advantages of the Su-75, according to Chemezov, will be, in particular, low visibility and a modern radar with an active phased array antenna (AFAR), as well as the ability to adapt to a specific customer.
In October, Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev said that many foreign air forces had shown interest in the LTS.
In August, Konstantin Sivkov, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences (RARAN) for Information Policy, Doctor of Military Sciences, said that, given the pace of development of the Russian fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, it is unlikely that the LTS will reach mass production before 2035.
In July, Rostec presented LTS at MAKS-21. According to Chemezov, a single-engine tactical fighter will cost from 25 to 30 million dollars. As the head of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yuri Slyusar noted, the aircraft shown in the cabin is a sample that will fly in 2023.
Ivan Potapov
