Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi, is rumored to have developed stealth fighter jet single engine, known as ‘Chekmate“.
The jet will reportedly make its flying debut at the MAKS air show in Moscow next week.
Rostec, Sukhoi’s parent company, gave the leak in a video, which the company released on July 13.
A few days later leaked photos circulated online, which depicted the plane wrapped in tarpaulin at Ramenskoye airfield, Zhukovsky International Airport where the MAKS show was held. However, the circulation of the photo has not yet been confirmed.
Samuel Bendett, a Russian military expert at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, DC, says the Checkmate is a relatively inexpensive export fighter that can be sold to countries that cannot afford the US-made F-35.
“A number of countries already friendly to Russian military exports may be lining up to (obtain) advanced fighter jets,” Bendett was quoted as saying. Forbes.
However, there are not many clear signals that countries that cannot get their hands on the South Korean-made F-35 or KF-21 will make alternative purchases of these Sukhoi jets. The offer of a lower price makes this jet aircraft competitive with US, South Korean and Chinese-made jets.
The Su-57 is a heavy, complex and expensive looking aircraft. Although it is not clear how expensive the aircraft will be compared to the smaller F-35 aircraft, the ones produced by Lockheed Martin alone are priced at US$100 or Rp. 1.4 trillion (Rp. 14,524) per unit.
Earlier on May 26, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported that Sukhoi was developing Russia’s first single-engine light tactical fighter with supersonic speed and low radar signature. The Drive.
The aircraft will have a take-off weight of up to 18 tonnes, fly at Mach 2-plus, and have thrust vector engine control, The Drive reports.
While it cannot be confirmed that the aircraft seen at Zhukovsky is of the same Sukhoi design, it is most likely the same aircraft, according to the report description.
To date, no single-engine Russian-made fighter aircraft has been built since the Cold War. Since then Russia has been seen as unconcerned about developing aircraft in the single-engine class.
Checkmate is said to be able to equip the larger twin-engine Su-57, which first flew in 2010 and is currently in serial production at the Sukhoi plant in Eastern Russia.
Moscow has ordered 78 Su-57s from Shukoi, but production has been slow and only a handful of jets are in service.
The Chekmate aircraft could in theory complement the needs of the Su-57, and help the Russian air force to deploy twin-engine and single-engine stealth fighters.
That’s what the US Air Force did to produce hundreds of F-35s to equip 180 twin-engine F-22s.
(can/eks)
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