ABU DHABI, UAE. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Potential foreign buyers are demonstrating a keen interest in Russia's Checkmate fifth-generation light fighter jet, a representative of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) told Interfax.
"A number of customers have shown a keen interest in this aircraft after the premiere of the Checkmate light tactical plane at the Dubai Airshow 2021 international aerospace exhibition," the FSMTC representative said at the IDEX 2023 show.
"We are open to dialogue and cooperation with partners in this project in various formats of mutual interest," he said.
"The Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate light single-engine fighter jet of the fifth generation, developed by Rostec's Sukhoi, was unveiled at the MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon in July 2021. Its foreign premiere followed in November 2021 in Dubai. The jet maiden flight is expected in 2025, with the batch production scheduled to begin in 2027.
According to the developers, Chechkmate has a top range of 3,000 kilometers, a Mach 2 speed and a payload of 7,400 kilograms. It is capable of simultaneously attacking six air, sea, and surface targets, including attack drones and foreign fifth-generation planes. Plans to design two-seat and unmanned Su-75 jets have been reported.
The plane will be offered to foreign clients first, including African countries, India and Vietnam, Roscosmos head Yury Borisov said when he was still a deputy prime minister. Checkmate already has an anchor buyer abroad, he said. The new plane will cost from $30 million to $35 million, Rostec head Sergei Chemezov said in November 2021.
Three hundred Checkmate fighter jets will be supplied in the next 15 years. They are expected to compete with the U.S. F-35 Lightning II, the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen, the Chinese J-10 and the Pakistani JF-17.