(Washington, D.C.) Despite all of the announcements, news reports and massive speculation about Russia’s now unveiled new “Checkmate” stealth fighter, pretty much all there is are unanswered questions.
Certainly to the untrained observer’s eye, the external configuration can be looked at and estimated as both stealthy and “F-35” like, yet when it comes to the attributes most likely to define the new aircraft’s prospects for success in warfare, there are mostly just question marks.
Will Russia Sell Checkmate to U.S. Rivals?
Much of the prevailing discussion and speculation about the new aircraft pertains to Russia’s apparent plans to “export” the new fighter to a range of foreign customers potentially looking for an F-35 rival.
Does the new Russian jet threaten or diminish the superiority of the U.S. built F-35? Maybe. Maybe not. It is a single-engine stealthy looking fighter with a clear resemblance to the U.S. F-35 and, to a lesser degree, F-22.
A story on the new aircraft from CNN quotes a UAC press release saying the new plane “combines innovative solutions and technologies,” and has “low visibility and high-flight performance.” The report further adds that the new Checkmate is reported to be unique, in part because it has a “combat radius of 1,500 km, the largest thrust to weight ratio, shortened take-off and landing and more than seven tons of combat load.”
As for its potential distribution, the CNN report quotes an official saying that UAE, Argentina, Vietnam and India are among a growing list of potential customers for the aircraft, which may also certainly have a domestic variant intended solely for use by the Russian Air Force.
Apart from the technical extent to which the new Russian “checkmate” actually mirrors the F-35 when it comes to performance parameters, the prospect of international sales for the new plane present an interesting dynamic.
