The head of Rostec State Corporation Sergey Chemezov compared the Russian single-engine fifth-generation fighter Checkmate with the American F-35. He told TASS about this on the eve of the Dubai Airshow 2021 international exhibition.
According to him, the F-35 is the main competitor of Checkmate.
"Among the fifth-generation single-engine aircraft and machines of previous generations, only Checkmate's main competitor, the F—35, can boast comparable characteristics. However, unlike the latter, our aircraft is more economically profitable," Chemezov explained.
He added that Checkmate will be attractive for foreign customers, including Middle Eastern countries.
On November 9, the Checkmate prototype was delivered to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on an AN-124 Ruslan transport aircraft. The fighter will be demonstrated abroad for the first time at the Dubai Airshow International Airshow.
The prototype of the Checkmate light fighter was presented at the International Aviation and Space Salon 2021 (MAKS-2021) in July. The cost of the aircraft will be from 25 to 30 million dollars.
Marina Sovina