Do I need the latest Su-75 Russian Aerospace Forces
В previous text I talked about the reasons that prompted PJSC "Sukhoi" to undertake the development of a new light single-engine fighter of the 5th generation, even without an order for it from the Russian Aerospace Forces, solely focusing on foreign markets, bypassing the MiG corporation. Today I will explain why they invited Putin to the presentation of the plane, and I will slightly open the veil of secrecy over sometechnical characteristics of the new product, from which the "secret" stamp was finally removed.
Marketing rules
I was initially captivated by the commercial approach of the Sukhoi corporation to the creation and promotion of its new product. Moreover, this was clearly not a coincidence, but a trend; in the 30th year of capitalism, we finally learned to play by their market rules. Even from our first anti-toxic vaccine, I noticed that its promotion to foreign markets was accompanied by a serious marketing campaign, starting with the choice of the name and further down the list. You must agree that the potential consumer associates Sputnik V with the most famous Soviet brand - the satellite, which, along with Gagarin and the Bolshoi Theater, symbolizes our success and breakthrough, and the letter V is associated with the concept of "Victory", "Victory". Apparently, the creators of this vaccine took a serious approach even to the choice of the name, realizing that there are no trifles in such things, especially when the potential consumer is the whole world.
The creators of LTS Checkmate also put a special meaning into the name. But, judging by the BBC correspondents, they overdid it with this - the British did not understand the ideas of the marketers, even misinterpreting the slogan “Turn the chessboard” at the presentation of the product (literally from English. - unfold the chessboard), having decided that the fighter is intended to change the rules of the game on the battlefield, not on the battlefield for a potential buyer of the product.
But then the promoters involved in promoting the product acted in compliance with all the canons of the genre. They began with the fact that on the eve of the 15th anniversary air show in Zhukovsky, they made a deliberate leak, and information about participation in a demonstration of a super-classified product from the Sukhoi corporation was leaked to the press, citing well-informed sources. The audience, already well warmed up, froze in anticipation. Further, as if by chance, photos of a secret product, transported to the hangar under a camouflage blanket, from under which contours are clearly visible, vaguely resembling the painfully familiar outlines of the F-35, fall into the network. The excitement reaches its limit when the first person of the state comes to the salon. This fueled interest in the novelty to the point that by the beginning of the performance, a crush arose in front of the hangar entrance, in which even several foreign journalists accredited at the salon were injured, including their filming equipment.
For the presentation of the combat aircraft, they chose a hangar at the very edge of the airshow exposition. The model was covered with a dark fabric with a large checkmate lettering and a picture of a chess knight. As the general director of UAC Yuri Slyusar noted at the presentation:
The global market is a competitive space. In principle, this constant rivalry can be compared to a game of chess. In this logic, the LTS is an easy but effective piece in experienced hands, capable of deciding the outcome of the game - check and checkmate. The Russian engineering culture is highly intellectual and strong not only at the applied mathematical level, but also by the ability to strategize. And in chess, we traditionally have everything in order (after the last words, the head of the UAC smiled meaningfully).
That is, based on his words, this product should be considered as an easy piece in a conditional chess game, designed to solve local problems, but if something happens, it can even give a checkmate. For this purpose, the Russian Federation is armed with the Su-57 as heavy figures.
The presentation was colorful - the plane was surrounded on four sides by huge screens. A video with scenes of the combat life of Checkmate was shown on them to loud music. In one episode, American F-35s acted as opponents of the fighter. No Russian military aircraft has ever received such a grand show in public. Vladimir Putin examined a model of a new Russian fighter (I must say that it was not an aircraft that was presented in Zhukovsky, but its prototype, a well-detailed model with a full-fledged cockpit), for the President of the Russian Federation, the model was highlighted with iridescent colors, and while watching the flight program, there was also they treated them to Cow iz Korenovka ice cream, which was brought in a pink refrigerator bag directly to the podium (another marketing move, I think, after that the producers of this ice cream brand will have excellent export prospects, and on the domestic market it should simply kill all competitors).
The new product from Sukhoi has few rivals. The main competitors of Checkmate are 4 ++ and 5th generation aircraft. The latter is currently on the market only for the American F-35 and the Chinese J-31 Shenyang. But the Chinese is not a competitor to us, because he himself uses Russian RD-93 engines (of which he has two), and was developed as a lighter version of the 5th generation J-20 heavy fighter to work with it in tandem. If we talk about aircraft of the 4th generation, then these are aircraft with an increased resource, the growth of which makes it possible to reduce the cost of a flight hour and the purchase cost. This applies equally to machines that are in operation due to the extension of the resource, and to newly built aircraft of the latest modifications (for example, new modifications of the F-16). In addition to the aforementioned 16th generation F-4, Checkmate's competitors are also aircraft - the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the French Dassault Rafale. The Chinese aircraft industry has not yet established the production of its own engines, it is not a competitor to us, hence the vital interest of the Americans in blocking the sale of the Ukrainian engine-building giant Motor Sich to Chinese comrades (by the way, this is in our interests).
Flight performance of the product
Now the promised performance characteristics of the product. The aircraft is made according to the normal aerodynamic configuration with a V-shaped tail. The fixed air intake is located under the fuselage and has an extended lower lip, the design uses a fuselage boule to turn and drain the boundary layer. The wing, which is mid-triangular in terms of shape, has a developed mechanization of the leading and trailing edges. The engine has thrust vector control. Small control surfaces are located between the engine nozzle and the empennage. There are three compartments in the fuselage to accommodate outboard weapons: two side compartments are designed for short-range air-to-air missiles, the main compartment can be configured to accommodate three air-to-air missiles and two air-to-ground missiles.
The aircraft allows for various configurations of onboard avionics. The airborne radar has an active phased array antenna for electronic beam steering. An optical radar station is located in front of the cockpit. Under the fuselage, just to the right of the nose landing gear, there is an optical-electronic sighting system "KOEPS-75" developed by UOMZ. Also, landing and defense optical stations of the same developer can be installed.
LTH products
Maximum non-afterburner speed: M = 1,8… 2,0;
Maximum operational overload: 8 G;
Practical range: 2800 km;
Practical ceiling: 16500 m;
Takeoff weight: 18 tons;
Combat load: 7400 kg.
weaponry
(up to five missiles in internal compartments):
Air-to-air: RVV-SD and R-77M, RVV-MD;
Air-surface: K029BE, KAB-500, K08BE (UPAB-500B-E), KAB-250 and KAB-250LG-E, Kh-38, X-59MK2, Kh-58USHK-E, Grom-E1 and Grom-E2 ;
Suspended container with 30 mm cannon;
Crew: 1 person, 2 people, unmanned.
The onboard equipment includes a radar with AFAR, a circular optical and electronic reconnaissance system, an optical guidance station, and built-in electronic warfare equipment. The cockpit is equipped with a fifth-generation control information field. Similar to the Su-57, the artificial intelligence of the new fighter takes over routine operations, freeing the pilot to carry out a combat mission. The aircraft's open architecture allows it to be converted into a drone or two-seater fighter at minimal cost.
Checkmate is made using stealth technologies. The effective dissipation area is 0,001 sq. m (for the F-35, for example, this figure is 5 times higher). LTS surpasses its counterpart in terms of internal capacity. So, the F-35 is capable of carrying a payload of up to 4 tons inside the fuselage, while the Checkmate "takes on board" almost 2 times more. It was possible to win in payload due to the use of one engine instead of two. One of the key advantages of the aircraft is its modular design. Checkmate was originally created as a Lego constructor, and therefore has great potential for further modernization. It can and should become the basic platform for a whole family of aviation systems. It will be possible to add various accessories to the basic model for different tastes and wallets in accordance with the wishes of the customer (including foreign ones). It will be possible to choose a radar, a weapon control system, up to the installation of another engine. Even a deck version of Checkmate can be assembled from such a constructor. He can act in communication with another fighter or drone, or even become a drone himself. This corresponds to modern ideas about the work of combat aviation - such pairs are experienced in many countries. Thanks to the open architecture, the aircraft can be configured to solve specific tasks - air combat, interception, strikes against ground targets, reconnaissance flights. In addition, even at the design stage, the possibility of seamless implementation of even more advanced units into the aircraft design in the future, which are still at the R&D stage, was laid down.
And the last thing. The prototype presented at the MAKS-2021 air show will never go to the troops. This is just a concept on the basis of which single, double and even fully unmanned variants will be created. Checkmate's maiden flight is scheduled for 2023, with serial production starting in 2025, although the timing may be adjusted (the prototype has not yet flown, all tests were virtual). In the Russian Air Force, as in the United States, there are traditionally pairs of heavy and light fighters: Su-27 and MiG-29, F-15 and F-16. With the advent of new generation fighters in the United States, such a pair could be considered the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. In Russia, the heavy Su-57 is in service, but there has not yet been a light and inexpensive 5th generation fighter. It is not yet known whether the Russian Ministry of Defense will purchase the commercial Checkmate.
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