Russia moving closer to some countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. According to towar.ru, contacts with African states have recently become especially frequent. Nigeria is thinking about acquiring a new Russian Sukhoi Su-75 fighter, as reported by RIA Novosti, referring to the director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) Dmitry Shugaev.

Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link

Sukhoi S-75 Checkmate mockup displayed at Dubai Air Show 2021 (Picture source: Wikipedia/Mztourist)

According to Shugaev, the Nigerians showed interest in Russian fighters during the recent Russia-Africa forum in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he added that it is too early to talk about the conclusion of contracts.

The Su-75 Checkmate LTS (Light Tactical Aircraft) is a single-engine, stealth fighter aircraft under development by Sukhoi for export and for the Russian Aerospace Forces. The Sukhoi Design Bureau also designates the aircraft as T-75.

A static mock-up was unveiled at the 2021 MAKS air show. The Checkmate's maiden flight was first scheduled for 2023 and then slipped to 2024, with initial deliveries planned for 2026–2027. The Checkmate is designed to be low-cost and for export. Production is forecast to be 300 planes over 15 years.According to the chief executive of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, the LTS Checkmate is expected to cost US $25–30 million each.

On 14 November 2021, it was reported that the production of several prototypes of the Checkmate had begun at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant, where the Sukhoi Su-57 is manufactured.Su-75 Checkmate's development could be delayed due to international sanctions on Russia, and Russia can hardly import semiconductors and high-tech machining equipment from the European Union, except by fraudulent ways and international complicities. The potential export sales also stalled because Russia cannot trade using U.S. dollars.

On 16 August 2022, United Aircraft Corporation reported that they plan to build four prototypes of the Su-75 Checkmate, with flight tests planned for as early as 2024.

In July 2023, analyst Maya Carlin of the Center for Security Policy expressed concerns that sanctions against Russia, due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine had slowed or stopped the aircraft's development. In particular, noted was the loss of funding from the United Arab Emirates due to sanctions, which had been sustaining the Su-75's development, as the UAE seeks instead to acquire F-35s, with potential support from Israel.

The Su-75 Checkmate has a diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI), a v-tail and internal weapons bays—all features intended to reduce radar signature. The wing area appears large, which has been interpreted by correspondent David Axe to imply that Sukhoi designed the fighter to fly and engage in combat at high altitudes—40,000 ft (12,000 m) or higher.

The angular ventral inlet, which wraps around the lower nose section, shares features with a DSI design concept first introduced in the Boeing X-32 aircraft. A diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) is mechanically simple; DSI can reduce cost compared to more intricate inlet designs such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 or Sukhoi Su-27. Instead of a conventional empennage, the Su-75 fighter has a V-tail similar to that of the Northrop YF-23. Instead of a set of elevators and a tail separately controlling pitch and yaw, a pair of combined ruddervators fulfil both roles. However, ruddervators require more sophisticated flight-control systems than conventional empennages.

According to the jet's designers, the Checkmate is designed to fly with a range of up to 3,000 km (1,864 mi), carry a payload of up 7,400 kg (16,314 lb), and reach speeds of up to Mach 1.8 to 2.0. The fighter will also feature an internal weapons bay with five missiles and an autocannon.

By 2023 the initial design had been modified with changes to the fuselage sides, strakes and air intakes to reduce radar signature.