Russia’s Su-75 Checkmate Stealth Fighter Proves 1 Thing

Key Points and Summary – Russia’s Su-75 “Checkmate” was unveiled as a bargain fifth-gen stealth jet to rival the F-35, but years later it remains a mock-up with sliding timelines and vague specs.

-Sanctions, supply-chain strain, engine and materials challenges, and Russia’s prioritization of missiles and drones all undercut prospects.

Su-75 Checkmate and Su-57. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

-Claims of $30M unit cost and ultra-low operating expense defy the realities of stealth manufacturing (RAM coatings, thermal management) and advanced avionics.

-With the Su-57 fleet still tiny after 15+ years, a production-ready Su-75 by mid-/late-decade looks unlikely—and export sales even less so as Moscow struggles to build enough aircraft for itself.

The Su-75 Checkmate Proves 1 Thing: There is no such thing as a ‘cheap’ stealth fighter.

Will The Su-75 Ever Fly? Don’t Bank On It

Russia unveiled the Su-75 “Checkmate” fighter jet in 2021 at the Dubai Air Show. Billed as a cheaper alternative to the U.S.-made F-35 stealth aircraft, another mockup of the $30 million Su-75 appeared at the Moscow Air Show soon after.

The Russian attempt to create a low-cost, single-engine, fifth-generation stealth fighter for the export market has so far produced little of substance. Moscow delivered bluster and promises that never materialized. Russia’s defense industry is known for overpromising and underdelivering, despite President Vladimir Putin’s bombast about new defense weaponry.

As Alex Hollings wrote for Sandboxx, “Russia has a long and illustrious history of exaggeration when it comes to unveiling new defense technologies, from the Uran-9 infantry robot that garnered global headlines despite secretly not working at all, to the Checkmate’s older sibling, the Su-57, which is considered the least stealth of its fighter generation and currently exists only in token numbers.”

Su-75 Checkmate. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

It gets even worse, Hollings writes, because, “Even successful designs like the T-14 Armata main battle tank are smothered under a lack of funding, with Russia unable to produce or field them in any reasonable numbers.”

What Was Envisioned For the Su-75?

Built by Russia’s Sukhoi, the Su-75 is intended to support the Russian Air Force, but Russia also plans to sell the fighter on the international market.

The Su-75 is a single-engine, multi-role fighter designed for either one- or two-person crews. When developing the aircraft, Sukhoi emphasized its intention was to build a fifth-generation stealth aircraft at a significantly lower cost. The $30 million price tag is achieved in part by utilizing parts and technologies from the Su-57.

The idea is to then sell the aircraft to countries that are less able to afford expensive alternatives, such as the F-35.

Ambitions and pronouncements aside, Russia will never be able to produce an “F-35 equivalent” for $30 million or $300 million. Their economy is in shambles, and they have a shortage of dedicated engineers – let alone the materials – to build such an aircraft.

The United Arab Emirates was reportedly interested in co-producing the Su-75 with Rostec, thus ending the Emirati attempt to purchase the F-35 from the United States. Russia and the UAE were working toward co-producing a new fifth-generation fighter based on the MiG-29 back in 2017, but that project amounted to nothing.

Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware) 

According to Sergey Chemezov, the head of Rostec, the Su-75 will have a range of roughly 1,800 miles without external fuel tanks, and a maximum combat load of more than 16,500 pounds. Chemezov has also claimed the aircraft will carry a group of drones onboard and thus be able to engage up to six targets simultaneously. The main selling point in Dubai is that the per-hour cost of flying the Su-75 would be seven times cheaper than the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter.

But before countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East open their checkbooks, history would like a word of counsel.

Something Smelled, and Not Just the Perfume

The Su-75 may not be a stealth aircraft at all. A carefully worded statement by Rostec in November said, “Importantly, the aircraft is capable of accomplishing any tasks outside the area of the operation of air defense weapons, thus saving the pilot’s life.” Nothing about that sounds like a confident description of a stealthy, fifth-generation aircraft.

Initial reports said the aircraft was slated for flight in 2025, but after a meeting with Putin on May 18, Rostec announced production wouldn’t begin until 2027.

“Work is in progress on the design documentation for the light fighter,” Rostec stated at that time. “We borrowed the onboard equipment and engine from the fifth-generation Su-57, but reconfigured them,” Chemezov added.

Outwardly, the mockup that the Russians unveiled at the 2021 Dubai Air Show bore a resemblance to an F-35. However, as we’ve seen with the Su-57, which still numbers only in the dozens of aircraft, the manufacturing of a stealth aircraft requires much more than just a rounded design.

The Russians have yet to prove that they’ve mastered the art of developing radar-absorbent materials, thermal management, or heat signature reduction, which also determines stealth.

What determines air superiority in a stealth fighter jet is likely less visible characteristics such as computing, sensing, fire control synergy, avionics, and weapons applications. And those aren’t cheap.

The Checkmate’s potential customers need look no further than the Su-57, known as the “Felon.” It has been in development for over 15 years, yet only a handful have been constructed. On its maiden flight, the Su-57 crashed soon after takeoff.

When it finally becomes fully operational, the Su-57 will be powered by the Saturn AL-41F1 low-bypass turbofan combat engine. This engine is from the 1980s. Due to economic sanctions, the Su-57 isn’t expected to get a new engine until late this decade. There can be little doubt that the much-hyped Su-75 will face challenges of its own.

Su-57 Felon from Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Of course, Russia is claiming the AL-41F1 has been vastly improved.

Will Russia Sell The Su-75 To Build An Export Market?

It is doubtful the Su-75 will achieve international sales. Russia can’t afford to mass-produce aircraft for its own air force, let alone satisfy a foreign customer looking to buy a fleet of “fifth-generation stealth aircraft.”

The Russians are, right now, trying to build as many drones and missiles as possible – they launch hundreds, if not thousands, of them each night toward Ukraine. Fighter aircraft for export are not in the cards.

About the Author: 

Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.