Two-Seater Version of Russia’s New Checkmate Fighter Will be Offered to Woo Foreign Buyers

Why Russia would choose to build its first single-engine fighter in 50 years has been hotly debated, since they are often considered less reliable than two-engine jets, but one fact is agreed upon: its English-language name makes clear who the game-winning nickname is directed at.

Denis Manturov, the head of Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, said on Friday that while Sukhoi’s new Checkmate fighter is intended for export, Russia won’t depend on foreign investment to finance the jet’s construction.

A prototype of the fifth-generation fighter jet was unveiled this past July at the MAKS-2021 air show. While it’s based on the same advanced technology used in making Russia’s first fifth-generation fighter, the Su-57, it has a number of unique features, including a single jet engine instead of two, as Sputnik reported at the time.

Only a handful of fifth-generation fighters are in use around the world, including the Su-57 as well as China’s J-20 Weilong and the United States’ F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighters. Of them, just the F-35 has been sold to other nations, and the Checkmate is widely seen as a direct competitor, especially since it is projected to be substantially cheaper.

Likely buyers include nations from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Director Dmitry Shugayev told Sputnik during the debut air show.

Manturov noted Friday that foreign buyers often ask for two-seat versions of aircraft, such as the Su-30 variant of Sukhoi’s Su-27 fighter, so he anticipates a two-seat version of Checkmate will also be sought, in which case it will be built. However, he noted the Russian Air Force will likely have use for such an aircraft, as well.

A prototype of Russia's new Sukhoi Checkmate Fighter is displayed at the MAKS 2021 International Aviation and Space Salon, in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia. The missiles on display include the R-73 and R-77 anti-air missiles and the Kh-59MK anti-ship missile.

© Sputnik / Алексей Майшев

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Two-seat versions of aircraft can serve a variety of purposes, including facilitating training of pilots or allowing a second pilot to be a dedicated weapons officer. In the forthcoming two-seat version of the Su-57, the second pilot’s concern will be directing a swarm of Okhotnik combat drones that can accompany the stealthy jet on missions.

Sukhoi expects to begin deliveries within the next six years.