The deployment of the Su-75, which has yet to make its maiden flight, has been a choreography of fanfare and heavy marketing since the 2021 Dubai Airshow.
Today we unmask the bizarre saga of the Sukhoi Su-75, a fifth-generation stealth fighter whose setbacks go beyond mere technical collapse to lead to a strategic scandal.
Sukhoi Su-75: Numerical Connections and the Broken Poaching Dream
The numerological glimmer cast by the “75” on the Sukhoi Su-75 seems a distant echo of the personal significance this number can have. Births, preferences for specific weapons and tributes to fallen comrades are diluted in the mud that appears to be this failed Russian warplane.
The deployment of the Su-75, which has yet to make its maiden flight, was a choreography of fanfare and intense marketing, from the 2021 Dubai Airshow to olfactory ad campaigns, as wacky the project seems to be.
As it has been dubbed, the Checkmate is considered a technological leap for Russia. Its first single-engine fighter since the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was intended to supersede the Su-27 “Flanker” and MiG-29 “Fulcrum” twin-engine fighters. Despite the rhetoric, experts like Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute describe it with a tone of technical dismissiveness.
Su-75 Technical Details and Maiden Flight Dodge
The technical details of the Su-75 paint an imposing picture: a 49.2-foot fuselage, a 32.8-foot wingspan, a height of 16.4 feet, an empty weight of 36,156 pounds, a maximum takeoff weight of 51,588 pounds and a top speed of Mach-1.06. Despite the numbers, the Checkmate’s maiden flight remains on the far, indefinite horizon.
The fighter aroused some expectations from potential international buyers, especially in India and Vietnam. Optimistic figures of 300 aircraft were considered in the near future. However, reality has proven less receptive to the ambitions of the Su-75.
A series of technical and geopolitical barriers hamper the dream of international sales of the Su-75. Cost overruns, difficulties in development and competition with indigenous projects have dissipated the interest of countries like India. Furthermore, the current geopolitical climate, with Russia embroiled in military conflicts and tension with the PRC, could be deterring potential buyers such as Vietnam.
Furthermore, international sanctions have added one more barrier to the export prospects of the Su-75. Bans on transactions in US dollars and restrictions on the importation of semiconductors are making it difficult to carry out the project.
The Future of the Su-75: An Uncertain and Dark Outlook
Despite the odds, there is still a glimmer of hope for the Su-75 in the United Arab Emirates and Iran. But even this modest optimism is conditioned by the fact that the Checkmate has yet to get off the ground.
The earliest date for the aircraft to reach series production is 2027. However, forecasts indicate that it will most likely be in the 2030s, when sixth-generation aircraft are already expected to enter service from countries including the United States, Europe and Japan.
So the real question seems to be how much longer the Checkmate will stay afloat in this murky battlefield of aerospace development. The fate of this enigmatic Russian fighter is, for the moment, an enigma in itself.
The Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate is a fifth-generation stealth fighter developed by Russia. It is Russia’s first attempt to develop a single-engine fighter since the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, so far, the Su-75 has not made its maiden flight and faces significant criticism in terms of performance and applicability.
The Su-75 Checkmate has a fuselage length of 49.2 feet, a wingspan of 32.8 feet, and a height of 16.4 feet. Its empty weight is 36,156 pounds, and its maximum takeoff weight is 51,588 pounds. The fighter can reach a top speed of 808 miles per hour, equivalent to Mach-1.06.
When it was first introduced, it was considered that India and Vietnam could be potential buyers of the Su-75. However, to date, those potential foreign buyers have not materialized. In addition, the prospects for overseas sales of the Su-75 are hampered by international sanctions imposed on Russia.
The earliest date for the Su-75 Checkmate to reach serial production is 2027, under the most optimistic conditions. However, it is more likely that it will not occur until the 2030s.
Although the Su-75 Checkmate was touted as a sophisticated, high-tech fighter, expert assessments indicate that the aircraft is having a hard time meeting these expectations. A maiden flight has not taken place and approval by potential foreign buyers such as the Indian Air Force is hampered by several factors, including these countries’ own fighter jet projects and international sanctions on Russia.
