UAE shows interest in Russian new Checkmate fighter


Representatives of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have shown interest in Russia’s advanced Checkmate single-engine light tactical fighter and want to have a closer look at it, Head of Russia’s Rostec state hi-tech corporation Sergei Chemezov said at the Dubai Airshow 2021.

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UAE shows interest in Russian new Checkmate fighter 01 Checkmate fifth-generation single-engine fighter (Picture source: Tass)


“You have seen the aircraft yourselves. We have developed a nice and good aircraft. The United Arab Emirates has already shown interest in it and wants to look at the plane more closely and discuss it,” Chemezov said.

The Checkmate will also arouse interest of other countries that will hold planned meetings with Rostec, he added.

“We have a significant advantage compared to all other [foreign] aircraft. First of all, the plane features an open architecture. We are offering a platform that can carry any weapons that the customer may wish. Besides, we equip it with various electronics, electronic warfare systems, target acquisition means and so on,” the Rostec head said.

All these options can be installed on the customer’s request, he added.

“And, of course, the price will vary, depending on these options. I hope that the price of the baseline version will be around $30-35 million,” the Rostec head said.

Foreign armament has to be adapted to the Russian fighter, he said. “We offer the options that are already available and have been tested on the Su-57. These technologies have been developed and tested, they have proved their efficiency, and, therefore, they are simpler and cheaper,” Chemezov said.

About Checkmate:

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation unveiled the latest Checkmate light tactical plane at the MAKS 2021 international airshow. The fighter jet was presented to the world public at the Dubai Airshow 2021.

The plane incorporates most advanced technologies, including its open architecture to meet customer requirements and unique artificial intelligence technologies. It is based on stealth technologies and has an inboard compartment for air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons. The fighter will carry a payload of over 7 tons and will be able to hit up to six targets at a time. The new single-engine fighter will be capable of flying at Mach 1.8.