Checkmate is the new Soviet fighter

Russia has shown at the MAKS-2021 fair what the future fighter plane will be like, which they have called “checkmate”. I suppose the name will be a marketing sign to try to checkmate the North American F-35 plane. Things typical of commercial marketing.

The great powers imitate each other and combat aircraft are a product that sells well in the market, and they also carry with them a great business in weapons systems and logistics. They are businesses that last dozens of years and are intimately linked with politics.

The model presented at the fair was a mock-up and the plane will not be ready for another 6 years or maybe something longer.

Among its main characteristics is having a radius of action of 1,500 km. to go with their weapons, attack and return to your base.

It can carry all kinds of missiles and due to its shape it has certain “stealth” characteristics to have a low radar signal, and it can fly in supersonic mode much longer than the F-35.

They say they are going to make a controlled version to fly without a pilot, and it remains to be seen how it will be integrated into a fleet piloted by people. The future is out there, but it is not yet known how it will be for sure.

They will make 3 different aircraft configurations based on their attack capabilities: basic, medium and full; but they have not defined their differences either.

Something very important is the price, they intend to be on the order of $ 25 million to $ 30 million, which is less than half of what an F-35 costs.

Although it is already known that in defense matters the sale prices are adapted to the interests of the selling government to extend its influence in other countries.

As it has always been for a long time, the great powers invest in defense technology (I would rather say attack technology) to try to maintain their privileged position.

And Russia is clear that it wants to continue in the lead field.

Nothing new under the sun.