Should India Take Interest In Russia's New 5th Gen Checkmate Fighter?

It’s no secret that Rostec, the parent company of Russian plane-maker Sukhoi, intends to offer Sukhoi’s new Checkmate fighter to the export market. Rostec’s teaser video for the single-engine jet, which appeared online in mid-July, features actors portraying pilots from Vietnam, India, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates.

But Checkmate itself, which Rostec officially unveiled at the MAKS air show at Ramenskoye airfield in Moscow Oblast on July 20th, has all the hallmarks of a high-flying interceptor whose main role is to hunt American F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters. It’s obvious why Russia would want a fighter like a Checkmate that can shoot down the United States’ own top fighters. It’s also a “Checkmate” to the American F-35 sales with the fighter being offered to countries like Vietnam, India, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates. We all know that UAE has trying hard to get the 5th generation fighter from the US.

About India being interested in the Checkmate fighter, the reply will be that India is likely to be very wary after its experiences with the PAK FA/FGFA program and poor support for the Su-30MKI fleet post-acquisition. The PAK FA was the name of the project that developed the Su-57 stealth fighter. Russia had initially announced it would co-develop a version of the Su-57 with India for the Indian Air Force that would be named the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). In 2018, then defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced India was pulling out of the FGFA co-development project. Reports had indicated the Indian Air Force had concerns about the stealth features and engines of the Su-57.

In an interview to Hindustan Times in February, Indian Air Force chief R.K.S. Bhadauria declared the force was firmly behind the AMCA. The AMCA is scheduled to make its first flight by 2025-26. Bhadauria told Hindustan Times, "They [DRDO] are looking at a timeline of 2027 to 2030 to put the stealth fighter into production. If that materializes, the fighter should be operationally available to IAF as a squadron by 2032." Bhadauria added that the Indian Air Force was keen on the incorporation of 'sixth-generation technologies that go beyond mere stealth into the AMCA. "There is a possibility of equipping it [AMCA] with directed energy weapons, superior anti-missile systems, advanced missile approach warning systems, and teaming it with unmanned systems."

According to the World Air Force Directory 2021, the Indian Force is the fourth largest in the world with 672 combat aircraft in active service. Russian jets ㅡ MiG-21, MiG-29, and Su-30 — dominate the IAF fleet. Other fighters are Dassault Mirage 2000 and Dassault Rafales, which have been acquired from France, the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar strike fighter aircraft, and the indigenous lightweight Tejas jets. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been operating Russian jets since the 1960s when MiG-21 was first imported in 1963. Since then, more than 800 MiG-21s were acquired by India, forming the backbone of the Indian Air Force.

The Checkmate is unique for more reasons than being just a new stealth fighter. It is the first new single-engine fighter that Russia is developing since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Air Force and Navy have mostly used twin-engine fighter aircraft, primarily based on the Su-27 and MiG-29 designs. According to experts, the Russian military preferred twin-engine aircraft given the greater safety margins they offered in the event of engine damage while patrolling Russia's vast eastern frontiers. Developing a 'cheap and cheerful' single-engine fighter, apparently, did make sense for a cash-strapped Russia, as single-engine jets are cheaper to fly and cost lesser to operate than comparable aircraft with two engines. It’s not for no reason Sukhoi’s Flanker family of fighters is so popular with the Russian air force.

Checkmate has a divertless inlet, a v-shape tail, and internal weapons bays—all features that contribute to what could be a small radar signature. At the same time, its wing appears to be huge. That implies Sukhoi designed the fighter to fly and fight at high altitudes—40,000 feet or higher. The control column of Sukhoi Checkmate is still between the pilot's legs instead of on the sides like F-22 and J-20. The jet will have an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar able to engage six targets at once. Combine these qualities—stealth and a high ceiling—and it’s apparent the U.S. military’s equally stealthy and high-flying F-22 and F-35 are Checkmate’s main targets. That makes sense considering the Russian dogmatic obsession with countering any new U.S. designs.

Images of the Checkmate circulated by various press organizations show the planform and main air intake are broadly similar to that of the Boeing X-32 Joint Strike Fighter contender in the competition won in 2001 by Lockheed Martin F-35. It also echoes features of other also-ran U.S. fighter designs of the 1990s. United Aircraft Corp.—the parent company for all of Russia’s aircraft makers, including Sukhoi, Ilyushin, MiG, and Tupolev—says the Checkmate will fly in 2023, will be in series production in 2026, and will be offered for export at the bargain-basement price of $25-$30 million per copy. That’s well below the price of the F-35, which is running at just under $80 million a copy for the conventional-takeoff F-35A model, after some 665 fighters have been produced. Checkmate is not a natural Russian phrase; the term “shakh” is used in chess to put a player in “check,” and “mat” is declared after making the final, winning move. “Mat,” pronounced “maht.”

Observers at MAKS said the jet does indeed have a ventral weapons bay, as well as two slender side bays for internal carriage of weapons.

The Checkmate can carry:
-RVV-MD and RVV-SD air-to-air missiles
-Kh-38MLE, Kh-58USHKE, Grom-E1/E2, Kh-59MK, Kh-31PD, Kh-35UE air-to-ground missiles
-Kab-250LG-E, K08BE, K029BE bombs
-S-8 and S-13 rockets
-Aircraft cannon

Company officials also said the Checkmate will be more field maintainable than other jets in its class with its capability. The F-35’s operating cost and maintainability have remained stubbornly high; so much so that the Government Accountability Office and the U.S. military services have considered cutting back on purchases due to affordability. According to Rostec, the MAKS 2021 show “exceeded” expectations, with Russia’s weapons exports agency Rosoboroexport — which is managed by Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov — signing 13 foreign contracts worth €1 billion (US $1.2 billion). In total, Rostec’s various subsidiaries signed contracts worth 230 billion roubles (US $14 million) with foreign customers. The show took place July 20-25 and saw 831 companies from 56 countries in attendance. For its part, Rostec presented more than 500 civilian and military technologies, including drones and engines.