Russian arms manufacturers make bold claims about the capabilities of the country's newest stealth fighter jet as the world’s second-largest arms exporter, behind the U.S., targets traditional clients and allies of its old rival.
That has changed with Moscow’s newest stealth fighter jet. For the first time, Russia has christened its aircraft beforeAs far as names go, it isn’t subtle. As it suggests, Russian arms manufacturers are making bold claims about the capabilities of the aircraft.
The Kremlin has made the modernization of Russia's arsenal a key priority amid tensions with the West.A single F-35 costs around $80 million, and while Checkmate’s pricing has not yet been announced, estimates flying around the Russian media suggest it will cost around $30 million per plane in its base configuration. But that’s just one part of a larger financial picture that will likely include delays and cost overruns, with test flights not slated to begin until as early as 2023.
“They need an external sponsor,” said Rob Lee, an analyst and doctoral student specializing in Russia’s military and defense industry at King’s College in London. “One of the issues for a lot of the new weapons systems that Russia develops is they need to find a foreign sponsor who can pay for the R&D, and then the Russian military will procure it domestically.”
Nonetheless, from the moment it was first unveiled in July, Checkmate has been intentionally pitched for export to nations like Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia and others that have either been shut out of America’s F-35 program or don’t want to spend that much on a jet. “Arms sales are a central element of Russia’s foreign policy and are closely controlled by the government to advance economic and strategic objectives,” the CRS report noted. “Russian arms sales ... promote Russia’s defense and political relations with other countries.”
One explanation for the pageantry: The UAE, host of the airshow, is in the market for stealth fighter jets, and the F-35 is at the top of its shopping list.
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