India Unlikely to Pursue Russia's Su-75 'Checkmate' 5th Gen Fighter Jet Due to Financial and Developmental Hurdles

India appears to be distancing itself from Russia's Su-75 Checkmate fighter jet program, citing financial constraints and developmental uncertainties. A senior Indian Air Force (IAF) official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the IAF is not actively considering the Su-75, primarily due to the significant financial burden it would place on India.

The Su-75 Checkmate, a single-engine stealth fighter developed by Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau, was unveiled at the MAKS 2021 airshow. While marketed as a competitor to the American F-35, the project has faced challenges in securing firm orders and financial backing.

Unlike traditional fighter jet programs, where the home nation's government funds the majority of the development, Russia is seeking substantial investment from potential export customers for the Su-75. This presents a significant financial risk for India, which is already heavily invested in its own fifth-generation fighter program, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

"Developmental funding will need to come from the export customer," the IAF official stated, highlighting the increased financial burden for any nation interested in procuring the Su-75. This approach differs significantly from the development of other fifth-generation fighters, such as the F-35, which received substantial funding from the US government.

Further complicating the Su-75's prospects is the lack of interest from the Russian Air Force itself. Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov acknowledged in 2021 that the fighter is being produced "at the company’s own risk," relying heavily on attracting foreign buyers. This reliance on export orders raises concerns about the project's long-term viability and sustainability.

Despite initial marketing efforts targeting countries like India, the UAE, and Vietnam, the Su-75 has yet to secure any confirmed orders. This lack of a solid customer base adds to the uncertainty surrounding the project.

The IAF official's comments suggest that India is prioritizing its own indigenous fighter jet program and is unwilling to shoulder the financial risks associated with the Su-75 Checkmate. With no firm commitments from Russia and an uncertain future, the Su-75 faces an uphill battle in securing international partners, particularly those with their own advanced fighter jet ambitions.

 

[sanket]

AMCA is confirmed First stealth 5.5Gen Fighter jet For Bharat going to b Inducted in Future , Tejas MK2 will b Roll out in Next year & First First Flight by 2026. Full Backing By IAF for AMCA, Bad News for Naysayers They can have Chai samosa

 

[kurtwallis wallis]

IAF is making a HUGE MISTAKE by putting all eggs into HAL-ADA ONE basket only!!! At least give order for Tejas-TEF-Naval-ORCA jet on twin engines of RD33MK Sea Wasp ones soon. Shortlist only the cheapest western SEF fighter jet on MRFA tender, and spend more funds on fasttracking of AMCA program..

 

[Neal.B]

Then what would you do till 2040? You don't want F35, you don't need Su75..

 

[Aloo]

Then what would you do till 2040? You don't want F35, you don't need Su75..

Even Rafale are not being ordered. 🙄💀

 

[sanket]

Even Rafale are not being ordered. 🙄💀

MRFA is depended on Foreign Engine Partner & TEDBF ,AMCA too , Lot will depend who will offer best For AMCA Engine development First Engine development deal likely to b signed if French win that deal Then Next may b will France ready to part Tech with Bharat For Rafale then MRFA may b scrapped & Deal may b signed G2G if France agree for starting production line with Indian Pvt player , Not only for IAF but for Export market too its all over French Game From MRFA ,Engine development consultancy in TEDBF & AMCA too for that wait N watch First update likely by by 1 oct 2024 Can France take AUKUS Revenge

 

[Anonymus]

IAF is making a HUGE MISTAKE by putting all eggs into HAL-ADA ONE basket only!!! At least give order for Tejas-TEF-Naval-ORCA jet on twin engines of RD33MK Sea Wasp ones soon. Shortlist only the cheapest western SEF fighter jet on MRFA tender, and spend more funds on fasttracking of AMCA program..

when someone's brain stop working it right such comment. because of RD 93 mk engine indian navy already facing issue with mk29k so doing same mistake won't give any thing new result. No western jet is cheap you already know rafale was L1 bidder still cost 250 million dollar.

 

[Bhupesh Desai]

I think in that case double the efforts to get AMCA done before 2030.

 

[Sudha]

Russians have been saying that they will be transferring the tech to Bharat. So it seems improbable that they will not fund it at all. Since the article is based on an anonymous source, the truth is doubtful. Maybe some western biased source.

 

[Sudha]

AMCA is confirmed First stealth 5.5Gen Fighter jet For Bharat going to b Inducted in Future , Tejas MK2 will b Roll out in Next year & First First Flight by 2026. Full Backing By IAF for AMCA, Bad News for Naysayers They can have Chai samosa

Oh man I feel sorry for you. Knowing HAL's track record on huge delays (just look at the trouble for mk1a & huge delay on mk2), IAF will be lucky if they get AMCA by 2040. You might be optimistic but track record of HAL doesn't give much hope. Without active private participation on AMCA & second line of production in private sector for mk2, Bharat's security will be seiously compromised.

 

[Mayank Shukla]

I think deep inside IAF is done with Russian jets, due to their crashes and blame game.
India is anyways paying 20 billion USD so money isn't constraint also you would get right to sell further, bad financial decision but seems better for IAF.

 

[Shiva]

In my view the era for India to purchase aircraft is a history.
Now India has all the state of art technology processes available who can develop any kind of aircraft.
The only issue now is on the engines.
So, we should avoid purchasing aircrafts including Su-57, F-35, Rafael.
Our only focus should be on engines.
We need to look up at two types of engines, one on it performance throughput and other on its mass produceability.
We should either directly purchase / locally produce / ToT / combined development etc only on engines.
We may also look for nuclear fuel based engines used for aircrafts / aeroplanes / missiles / torpedoes / submarines etc.

These kind of discussions whether Su-57/F-35/Rafael is a bad choice and not good for India in long run as well as in short term

 

[Mayank Shukla]

Then what would you do till 2040? You don't want F35, you don't need Su75..

Who is offering F 35 ? Where is Rafale in big numbers ?

 

[tipoo2]

Thank goodness. The Su-75 is a pure grift, Russia can't pay for its funding so the company wanted to find another country to bilk into paying for its R&D. Just look at the state the Su-57 is TEN years after flying, the 75 would not be baked for a long time if it ever gets there, and we should be well into AMCA timeline by the time it's a fully baked product anyways.

The only thing that would potentially make sense is the Su-57M as a stopgap for a few squadrons, but again I'm only saying potentially, if it does pan out that the next batches coming are the "M" variant for "modernized" in Russian development, aka when it's actually baked and flying with the engine meant for it and modernized avionics. But it's likely even that won't make sense instead of just going ahead with the super 30 and gearing up Tejas, the naval Rafale order, and perhaps one more G2G Rafale order for the IAF, and that's it for foreign jets.

 

[tipoo2]

Then what would you do till 2040? You don't want F35, you don't need Su75..

The Su-75 hasn't even flown yet, and the Su-57 is only just now reaching potentially near mature 10 years after flying. If the Su-75 flies in 2028 it'll be WELL into AMCA timeline before it becomes a baked product.

The only real potential stopgap is the Su-57M, if that's even truly ready in the next batches. The last 3 57s delivered were still on old AL41 engines which give it away on IR. And there's a hundred big "If's" with that.

 

[Neal.B]

Who is offering F 35 ? Where is Rafale in big numbers ?

To get an offer of f35 from lockheed martin, Indian government officials and lobbies needed to act in tandem. If anything is upto sell for friendly countries, it is unlikely to believe that seller won't like a multibillion dollar deal from a 'strategic partner' in indo pacific. But officials and Army said in clear terms that they are not considering any such aircraft from US.
About rafale I don't know if India gonna ever order in big numbers. I'm talking based on existing numbers even though it's nothing compared to our requirements.

Theoretically Tejas mk2 has the potential to beat Rafale 3 but I'm very much skeptical about it's time-line.

 

[Neal.B]

The Su-75 hasn't even flown yet, and the Su-57 is only just now reaching potentially near mature 10 years after flying. If the Su-75 flies in 2028 it'll be WELL into AMCA timeline before it becomes a baked product.

The only real potential stopgap is the Su-57M, if that's even truly ready in the next batches. The last 3 57s delivered were still on old AL41 engines which give it away on IR. And there's a hundred big "If's" with that.

Russia itself stopped making Su57 and only procured something around 14-18 I guess. It's not even a true 5th gen considering it's rcs count and 4th gen engines among others.
On the other hand dependency on Russia needs to be decreased at a rapid pace. Buying few squadrons of Su57 will make it worse.

 

[tipoo2]

Russia itself stopped making Su57 and only procured something around 14-18 I guess. It's not even a true 5th gen considering it's rcs count and 4th gen engines among others.
On the other hand dependency on Russia needs to be decreased at a rapid pace. Buying few squadrons of Su57 will make it worse.

It hasn't stopped, another 3 were just delivered. They've just made them agonizingly slowly with barely 20 made over the last 10 years. They have slowly continued to develop it.

 

[Sandeep]

Until the jet, capabilities and technology are fully developed and certified India should not invest anything in this jet. Let Russia develop it with their own money so they assume the risks if it fails. Otherwise we will face the same problem when we tried developing a 5th generation jet in a joint venture with Russia like last time.

 

[desigandu]

Bharat should not/will not buy any major weapon system from Russia in the future…Russia a $2T economy is dependent on China for its survival…

Bharat must keep engagements with Russia, buy cheap energy and blunt its relationship with China, as a managed decline…Russian weapon systems are generally (except say hypersonics, EW systems) unreliable, old tech and require extensive maintenance as compared to western systems…Also Bharat must keep investing in atmanirbharta so by 2035, we don’t need foreign military technology in key areas…

 

[Avada kedavra]

He didnt mention how russia back stabbed india on FGFA.
why would checkmate be any different.

and russia is at its weakest now. Why doesnt india demand thr crystal blade technology which it has been hiding

 

[Bikramjeet Goswami]

Russians have been saying that they will be transferring the tech to Bharat. So it seems improbable that they will not fund it at all. Since the article is based on an anonymous source, the truth is doubtful. Maybe some western biased source.

Russia doesn't have the money, they are busy fighting a war and have suffered heavy material losses.