Russian annual MAKS air show started on 20th of July and the big event everyone kept eyes on happened. Russia revealed a prototype of their new fighter jet by Sukhoi on Tuesday. Russian president inspected the prototype on that day.

Russians this new fighter jet project was named “Checkmate” and according to the head of Aviaport analytical agency Oleg Panteleyev, it will be a rival to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter. Yury Slyusar, head of the United Aircraft Corporation mentioned that this new fighter is planned to fly in 2023 and they are going to produce the first batch in 2026. Further, he said that Russia has planned to produce 300 of these new aircraft over 15 years of the time period.

“Our aim is to make the cost per flight hour as low as possible, to make it economical not only to buy but also to operate,” said Slyusar.

RIA news agency reported that according to Rostec’s chief, Sergei Chemezov “Checkmate” would cost around $25 million to $30 million and they expect demand from the Middle East, Asia Pacific region, and Latin America for their new fighter jet.

Russia already has heavy class Sukhoi Su-27 and light class MiG-29 as their fourth-generation fighter jets and one heavy class fifth-generation fighter jet Su-57. The new fighter jet revealed will be a great addition to the Russian fighter jet fleet.

Explore photos of the new Russian fighter jet below.

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