The head of Rostec State Corporation Sergey Chemezov called the advantage of the Russian light tactical aircraft (LTS) Checkmate over the American F-35 Lightning II fighter. During the Dubai Airshow 2021, he noted the cost and combat load of the aircraft. This is reported by RIA Novosti .
"I would consider the JF-17, J-10, F-16 to be competitors, but only the F-35 can boast comparable capabilities. Nevertheless, our aircraft is economically more profitable - both in terms of the cost of the car and the cost of the flight hour. At the same time, he can take on board a record amount of weapons. Therefore, I believe that the aircraft has good export prospects," Chemezov said.
The head of the state corporation added that the cost of the aircraft will be from 30 to 35 million dollars. According to him, it is necessary to create three prototypes of the fighter, which will be used during the tests. This will allow the fighter to take to the sky in 2023.
Earlier, the head of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Yuri Slyusar, said that Checkmate production had begun at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant. He stressed that several aircraft are being produced at the same time.
The Polish edition of Defence24 noted that Checkmate would be a serious blow to the United States. According to the author of the material, the aircraft may arouse interest in the countries of the Persian Gulf.
Daniil Irinin
