First Flight of Russia's Checkmate Jet in 2025

Russia's newest fighter, the single-engine Checkmate, will take to the skies for the first time in 2025.

The information was revealed to reporters by Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Yuri Borisov added that usually 1.5-2 years pass between the first flight and the start of mass production.

Sergey Chemezov, head of Rostec, told Russian state media in May that serial production of the Checkmate is scheduled for 2027.

It was earlier reported that the Checkmate, also called Su-75, has a launch international customer. A mock-up of the aircraft was released internationally at the Dubai Air Show 2021 fueling speculation that the U.A.E. would be a customer.

Checkmate reportedly features open architecture adjustable to customer requirements and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. It boasts low-visibility technologies and is equipped with an in-fuselage compartment for air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons. The jet’s payload exceeds 7 tons and it can hit up to six targets at once. The single-engine plane’s speed is Mach 1.8 and combat radius, 3,000km.