Who can buy the first Russian Su-75 fighter?

The official presentation of the modern Russian fifth-generation single-engine fighter Su-75, which took place two days ago, largely due to its skilful advertising campaign, made a great resonance in our country and abroad. Ill-wishers mock, people who are adequate to the appearance of the newest combat aircraft rejoice, and skeptics ask one question, for whom is "Checkmate" really intended?

First, let's go through the announced tactical and technical characteristics of the Su-75. Its practical range is estimated at 3 thousand kilometers, the practical ceiling is 16,5 thousand meters. The maximum speed of a multipurpose fighter should be 1,8-2 times the speed of sound (1,8-2 M), and the combat load should be 7,4 tons. Not bad, especially considering that the presence of only one power plant makes the aircraft more affordable for purchase and subsequent maintenance. For the picky buyer, the Su-75 will cost between $ 25 million and $ 30 million, which is why it was immediately dubbed the "F-35 for the poor." If we take into account that in the future it is possible to create a two-seater version, as well as an unmanned version, we get a very interesting proposal. General Director of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yuri Slyusar commented on the novelty as follows:




Well, a very practical approach. If we take into account the well-run PR campaign, one gets the impression that we have finally learned not only to create an excellent military machinery, but also to sell it competently. But it was around this that the most heated discussion began. Who can really buy our Su-75?

If you watch the promotional video, it becomes obvious that Rostec is counting on India, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates and Argentina. And the state corporation does have certain grounds to count on success. The production of competing F-16s began back in 1975, the Saab JAS 39 "Gripen" - in 1997, that is, it is by no means new. The Sino-Pakistani Chengdu FC-1 Xiaolong (JF-17 Thunder) is fresher, it began operating in 2007, but this is a Sino-Pakistani quality. The F-35, despite the many identified "jambs", is produced and "vparivayutsya" to the American allies in batches, but that's the problem. Its $ 80 million price tag for a "flying iPhone" seems a bit expensive to many. And do not forget about the need for further maintenance, depending on the manufacturer from the United States. Against this background, the brand new Su-75 for $ 25-30 million may be in great demand. Each buyer of such military equipment always thinks well where and against whom it can actually be used. The countries shown in the Rostec commercial do not seem to be going to war with the United States and NATO, which means that a light multipurpose aircraft may well be enough to solve the problems facing fighter aircraft. Russian.

Yes, that's right. However, there is one narrow point. The fear is quite rightly expressed that an aircraft that is not in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces is unlikely to be in demand abroad. And this is quite fair. The same Indians had previously abandoned the "older brother" of the Su-75, but later made a clarification that they should carefully study the experience of operating the Su-57 in the Russian troops. The customer is always right, right?

What do we have in the bottom line. A promising aircraft with good characteristics for a very capacious market niche, which from the very beginning is positioned as an export aircraft. At the same time, according to the statement of the UAC, the fighter was developed by the corporation without attracting funds from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, that is, on an initiative basis, and even in the shortest possible time. Somehow all this is atypical for our realities. Where have you ever seen this? Probably, this absurdity may be the answer to the main riddle of the Su-75.

One very plausible version is being cautiously expressed in the Russian press, and according to it, the lightweight Sukhoi project actually has its own customer from the very beginning, who finances this entire program. And it may turn out to be the United Arab Emirates, whose representative is shown in the Rostec video. It would seem, why should the Emirates, loyal to the United States, order the development of a fifth generation fighter in Russia, if it can buy an F-35 from its ally? And the Arabs have their own reasons, which are rooted in their long-standing difficult relations with neighboring Israel.

Tel Aviv was the first foreign buyer of fifth-generation American fighter jets that would guarantee it air superiority over any enemy in the region. With the coming to power of President Biden, the United States signed a contract with the UAE for the supply of 50 fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters for $ 10 billion. But this was done with one caveat: the manufacturer made the "Arab" versions of the F-35 visible on the IDF radars. Here is such a selective "invisibility". In any case, Reuters wrote about it. It is not surprising if Arab sheikhs with an Odessa accent asked, but they need it.

Of course not. Let's go back to 2017, when at an arms exhibition in the UAE, the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, told reporters that Russia was negotiating with the Emirates on the joint development of a fifth-generation light fighter based on the MiG-29, which should appear in seven to eight years. And now we really have a new fifth-generation light multi-role fighter, however, based on the Su-57. At the same time, the UAC, in some unknown way, in the shortest possible time, developed an aircraft without an order from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and even without budget funds, and an Arab pilot is visible in the commercial. Coincidence?

It may, of course, be a coincidence, but there are too many oddities in the matter, too much indestructible confidence of Rostec in its stake on the export market without a pre-order from the RF Ministry of Defense. This is not usually done in our country. By the way, the experience of cooperation with the UAE in terms of the development of weapons already exists. This is our Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system, which was ordered by the Arab sheikhs, and they use it quite successfully, despite their friendship with the United States.