Russia Su-75 Checkmate: Russia used the Dubai Airshow 2025 to tell the world that the Su-75 Checkmate fighter project is still running. The country wanted buyers to know that the single-engine stealth jet is getting close to its first flight even while Russia works under heavy wartime pressure. Officials tried to show that the program is moving ahead and not stuck.
Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said the first prototype is “almost at the stage of flight testing.” He shared this update through an interpreter at the show. His words gave the clearest sign of progress since Sukhoi showed the full-size model of the Checkmate at the Dubai Airshow in 2021. Chemezov said the Su-75 is meant to be a cheaper option for countries that want modern fighter features without paying the high price of twin-engine jets.
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Work on Prototype Continues under Pressure
The Checkmate sits as a smaller partner to the Su-57, which also appeared in Dubai for its first show in the Middle East. Russian leaders tried to use both jets to show that they still have a place in the global fighter market. Western companies have been winning most of the new deals in recent years, so Russia hoped this event would help them catch attention.
TASS said the Su-75 is now getting ready for bench tests. This step is important because teams need to finish this phase before they can start taxi tests and then attempt a first flight. The report said the prototype has moved into deeper into ground-testing work even tho Russia’s factories face big stress from wartime production needs, reported Aerotime.
The Su-75 has faced long delays. Sanctions and missing parts slowed the project. Russia also had to send more money and workers to support jets already fighting in Ukraine. This made new development move slower. Sukhoi once wanted a first flight in the middle of the 2020s, but that target slipped. Chemezov said a new fighter normally needs 10–15 years to build from zero, and he said the Su-75 “only recently started this work” in a serious way.
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Russia wants Buyers for the Checkmate
Even with these delays Russia used the Dubai show to remind other countries that the Su-75 is still part of its export plans. A model of the jet sat beside the Su-57 in the Russian area. Officials again called the Checkmate a low-cost and flexible fighter for countries that want modern ability without paying for heavy jets. Some reports said Russia is trying to interest the UAE and India, but no actual deals came out.
Russia tried earlier to get foreign partners to invest in the program, but this has become very hard since the war in Ukraine started.
