Mikhail Strelets, chief designer of the Checkmate light tactical aircraft, noted that the trend towards unification of the fleet of aircraft is gaining strength in the world
MOSCOW, November 12. /tass/. The joint use of the Checkmate light tactical fighter, the Su-57 "heavy" fighter and unmanned aerial vehicles will allow achieving maximum combat potential with minimal operational costs. This was stated to TASS by the chief designer of the Checkmate light tactical aircraft, Mikhail Strelets, as part of the special project "Su-Checkmate fighter. The dark horse of aviation of the future."
"Today, the trend towards the unification of the fleet of aircraft is gaining strength in the world. Due to the large degree of interproject unification, the joint use of Su-57, Checkmate and unmanned aerial vehicles can form an optimally balanced fleet for various tasks with minimal operating costs and high combat potential," said the chief designer.
For the first time, the Checkmate light tactical aircraft was presented at the MAKS-2021 air show by the United Aircraft Corporation (part of Rostec State Corporation). The foreign presentation of the fighter will take place at the Dubai Airshow 2021 International Airshow, which will be held from November 14 to 18 in the United Arab Emirates.
Checkmate includes all the most advanced developments, including an open architecture for building in the interests of the customer and unique artificial intelligence technologies. The aircraft is made using stealth technologies, equipped with an internal fuselage compartment for air-to-air and air-to-surface aircraft weapons. The payload mass will exceed seven tons. The fighter can simultaneously hit up to six targets. The speed of a single-engine aircraft will be Mach 1.8, and the combat radius will be 3 thousand km. It is expected that the aircraft will make its first flight in 2023.
In addition to the home market, Checkmate will primarily focus on African countries, India, and Vietnam. The car will most likely receive the Su-75 index and will be assembled at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant. It is planned that it will compete with the American F-35A Lightning II fighter and the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen.
