How Dangerous is Russia’s New “5th-Gen ++” Checkmate Stealth Fighter?

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington DC) Russia’s newly unveiled Su-75 Checkmate aircraft appears specifically designed to rival the U.S. F-35 and Chinese J-31 as a 5th-generation aircraft to market to Russian allies and customers worldwide. 

Selling to Allies and Partners

The success of the U.S. in expanding its multi-national network of F-35s capable of interoperation, forming joint formations, and sharing information across a multi-domain, international force.

This clearly empowers the U.S., especially in Europe, as the F-35 is fast becoming the fighter jet of the free world, a scenario that causes problems for adversaries.

Russia has already for years been operating with a massive air-power deficit compared to NATO, so the growing F-35 force and the fast-expanding number of nations acquiring the F-35 only complicates this further for Russia.

This circumstance is likely one of the key reasons Russia is fast-tracking its Checkmate jet, an aircraft that developers say will be light-to-medium weight and low-cost. Production plans are slated to include an effort to buy as many as 300 Checkmates over 15 years, according to a Globalsecurity.org report. 

Su-75: Unveiling and Building the Vaporware

Russia’s TASS news agency reported last year that Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation plans to build four prototypes and take them to the sky by 2024.

A mock-up of the aircraft was unveiled in 2021.