Su-75 Checkmate: The Light Stealth Fighter Designed for Networked War

Russia will receive the new Su-75 Checkmate this year. The aircraft is a low-observable, multirole fifth-generation fighter that packs advanced technology into a compact and lightweight design.

Photo: Посещение Международного авиационно-космического салона МАКС-2021 by The Presidential Press and Information Office, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sukhoi lightweight tactical single-engine aircraft

Why It Is Called Checkmate

The fighter received its name because, if air combat is imagined as a game of chess, the aircraft plays the role of a knight: unobtrusive at first glance, yet often decisive at critical moments. This is how the concept is described by the United Aircraft Corporation, which is responsible for the aircraft's development and production.

Airframe and Stealth Design

The Su-75 features a V-shaped tail with no horizontal stabilizers. Pitch control is achieved through all-moving vertical fins and a thrust-vectoring control system. This configuration reduces weight and improves efficiency, particularly in the context of electronic warfare.

The airframe incorporates extensive stealth technologies. Sharp edges, a diamond-shaped fuselage cross-section, canted vertical fins, concealed landing gear bays, internal weapon compartments, and carefully shaped wing roots all work together to reflect radar waves into narrow sectors.

Radar-absorbing materials and coatings are applied to leading edges, joints, and critical structural zones to further reduce the aircraft's radar signature.

Modularity as a Core Concept

Three versions of the Su-75 are under development: a single-seat fighter, a two-seat trainer-combat variant, and an unmanned version. An open architecture allows customers to adapt the aircraft to specific mission requirements, making modularity one of its most innovative features.

The nose section of the aircraft is designed to accept interchangeable mission modules. These can include a high-power radar for air superiority missions, an electro-optical reconnaissance module, or electronic warfare equipment.

This approach provides significant tactical flexibility while reducing operating costs. In many ways, the Su-75 resembles a modular construction system, where components can be swapped depending on the mission profile.

A New Engine at Its Core

The first flight prototype uses an engine derived from the Su-35S. Serial production aircraft, however, will be equipped with the engine developed for the Su-57, commonly referred to as "Product 30.”

This powerplant represents a major technological leap. It incorporates advanced materials and systems, including high-efficiency bearings, ceramic turbine components, and highly reliable electronic controls. Its defining feature is a flat thrust-vectoring nozzle, which enhances both maneuverability and stealth.

The flat nozzle significantly reduces infrared and radar visibility from the rear aspect. The intake geometry also contributes to lowering the aircraft's radar cross-section, a parameter that reflects how effectively an object reflects electromagnetic waves.

Performance Characteristics

The Su-75 has a maximum speed of Mach 2. At sea level, this corresponds to approximately 2,448 kilometers per hour, while at an altitude of 11 kilometers the speed is around 2,124 kilometers per hour. The difference results from variations in air temperature and density, which directly affect the speed of sound.

Heavily Armed Despite a Single Engine

Despite its single-engine configuration, the Su-75 can carry up to 7.5 tons of weapons. This includes most modern Russian precision-guided munitions.

For air-to-air combat, the fighter can carry medium-range R-77-1 missiles and long-range R-37M missiles. For ground targets, it can employ Kh-38M short-range missiles, Kh-58 anti-radiation missiles, and Kh-59MK2 medium-range cruise missiles, as well as guided and glide bombs such as the KAB-250 and KAB-500.

To preserve stealth, weapons are primarily carried in internal bays, with external hardpoints used when low observability is not a priority. The aircraft's estimated combat range without refueling reaches up to 3,000 kilometers, a strong figure for a single-engine fighter.

A Platform for Network-Centric Warfare

The most important feature of the Su-75 lies in its extensive use of artificial intelligence. The pilot benefits from a 360-degree situational awareness system, with flight and combat data displayed on a wide-angle head-up display and large multifunction screens. The cockpit is fully digital, with no analog instruments.

Artificial intelligence acts as an assistant, analyzing the tactical environment, suggesting courses of action, and relieving the pilot of routine tasks.

The aircraft is designed from the outset as part of an integrated information network. It can exchange data in real time with other aircraft, ground control points, naval platforms, and unmanned aerial vehicles, effectively serving as an airborne command node for drone groups.

Role and Export Potential

The Su-75 is intended to achieve air superiority in cooperation with the heavier Su-57, while also conducting independent strike missions against ground and naval targets. A key feature is its ability to operate within a networked formation that includes various types of drones, from the heavy Okhotnik UAV to high-speed Grom unmanned systems.

From an economic standpoint, the Su-75 is aimed primarily at export markets. It targets countries that cannot afford heavy twin-engine fighters like the Su-57 or expensive Western counterparts. The concept offers fifth-generation technology at a more competitive price than aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II.

An Asymmetric Answer to the F-35

A direct comparison between the Su-75 and NATO aircraft is not entirely appropriate, as the two designs reflect different operational philosophies. The Su-75 resembles a specialized combat asset designed for specific missions, while the F-35 functions as a universal platform and airborne command system.

The Su-75 does not aim to compete head-to-head with the F-35. Instead, it seeks to occupy a different market niche: an affordable stealth fighter with unique features such as modularity and drone leadership for customers who lack access to Western systems.

In a hypothetical conflict, operating as part of a network with Su-57 fighters and unmanned systems, the Su-75 could still pose a serious challenge to more established fifth-generation aircraft.