Guwahati News Desk: The Russian aircraft makers unveiled a prototype of a new fighter jet, featuring stealth capabilities and other advanced characteristics, on Tuesday.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, inspected the prospective warplane, at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon, where the air show opened on Tuesday in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow.
The Russian aircraft maker, Sukhoi, developed the new fighter under the LTS program, a Russian acronym for the Light Tactical Aircraft.
The Russian state corporation, Rostec, which includes Sukhoi and other aircraft makers, has advertised the new plane under the tag “Checkmate”, an approach apparently intended to underline its superior characteristics, adding that the new warplane belongs to the so-called fifth generation of fighter jets.
Rostec further stated, that the new design includes artificial intelligence features to assist the pilot and other innovative technologies, and that the prospective Russian fighter jet appears intended to compete with the U.S. F-35 Lightning II fighter, which entered service in 2015.
The jet’s makers informed that the prototype is set to make its maiden flight in 2023 and deliveries could start in 2026. They also added, that the new design could be converted to an unpiloted version and a two-seat model.
Its makers further informed, that this newly built aircraft, which hasn’t received a name yet, is smaller than Russia’s latest Su-57 two-engine stealth fighter, also built by Sukhoi, and has one engine. It can fly at a speed of 1.8 – 2 times the speed of sound and has a range of 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
Photo | Reuters