Russia is in full competition mode as the country on Tuesday
unveiled its new Sukhoi stealth fighter jet that is capable of striking six
targets simultaneously, to take on the US-made F-35.

The plane is nicknamed “The Checkmate” and it was
first shown to a reportedly “pleased” President Vladimir Putin before
the launch at a biennial air show outside Moscow. Its manufacturing was first
reported in May 2020. Few details had previously emerged about the plane that
was developed by defence and technology giant Rostec and the state-controlled
United Aircraft Corporation.

“Our task is for this plane to be offered en masse to
customers starting from 2026,”  AFP
quoted general director of the United Aircraft Corporation, Yury Slyusar, as
saying.

Rostec describes the aircraft as a fifth-generation light
single-engine fighter jet that incorporates “innovative solutions”
including artificial intelligence.

According to the manufacturing, the jet can attack up to six
targets simultaneously on land, air or sea, “even under conditions of
strong electronic interference.”

With a price tag of between $25-30 million (21-25 million
euros), it will be able to carry drones and launch them during flights. According
to the launch video, it was developed “in record time”. An auto-pilot
version is also being developed.

Slyusar said he expected nearly 300 orders in the next 15
years mainly from the Middle East, Asia and Latin America for a price
“seven times lower” than the F-35. He said plane is capable of
destroying “fifth generation foreign aircraft” and “is designed
to withstand the sixth generation systems that may appear in the coming
decades”.

Slyusar said he believed Putin was “pleased” when
he saw the plane.

Putin praised Russia’s aviation industry as he unveiled the
biennial MAKS air show earlier Tuesday.

“Russian aviation has great potential for development,
and our aircraft industry continues to create new competitive aircraft,”
Putin said.

Putin has made investing in the army and developing new
weaponry a priority over his two-decade rule.

Russia has boasted of developing several weapons that
circumvent existing defence systems, including the Sarmat intercontinental
missiles and Burevestnik cruise missiles.