New Russian Fighter about to be Unveiled

The company confirms that the design is the result of work by the Sukhoi design bureau, and represents “the first [contemporary] Russian single-engine fighter aircraft”.

From Flight Global

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Countdown to presentation:

https://checkmate.uacrussia.ru/

Without Googling I cannot think of a modern single engine fighter made by sukhoi. That’s an interesting development

Off the top of my head, I think of the Su-9 Fishpot AKA “We have MiG-21 at home, MiG-21 at home:”

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Isn’t the Su-17M3 a huge single engine machine?

image

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That was the most modern one I could think of

It would be kind of a stretch to call it a “fighter” though.

One of it’s intended uses was Wild Weaseling. If you don’t call that a fighter role, I will need to go three rounds in the MiG-15 with you.

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Hehe. I like that.

I have to say…those YGBSM guys truly have balls of steel. And as far as actual fighting goes, they have had a lot more real fighting time than the pure air-to-air guys in recent decades!

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Hehe, fair point.
I haven’t flown BFM in years so I guess you would trash me in the MiG anyway (probably even if I was flying a Hornet). :smiley:

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The reports indicate this will be betting heavily on exports, just like the F-35, and go after the same market for those nations unable/unwilling to buy from the US.

The F-16/X-32 style inlet I find most interesting. While covered before It looked more like it had lateral intakes, but it’s far smaller than the intakes on those other 2 planes. Does that indicate a lower-power engine or are there perhaps auxiliary intakes ala MiG-29/AV-8 that we don’t see in that picture?

You’re not putting an F-35-class 40k lb engine in with an intake that size, but it appears slimmer so it is likely lighter. Hard to know about range.

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Well, it sure looks happy. :smiley:

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Surely you meant hideous…

Seriously? to me it looks sierra hotel, the dogs’ danglies. It looks fast to me, and light, and small and agile and all the things to love in a fighter jet. A 21st century MiG-21.

That inlet does seem rather small though…

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I like it. Looks like a modern 21 like @schurem said.

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I like it as well. Looks like an X-32 done right.

I’m thinking it probably has limited internal payload, so there is probably a lot “hanging” on the ability to fly as a non-stealth wing mounted stores solution. (could be a good strategy to use high-low observability configurations in the same flight). It also seems like the performance they are promising will be highly dependent on they figuring out their engine solution, even with the low weight. But it has a fun starfighter vibe going on.

That is a hideously ugly design.

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@PFunk
The Office Reaction GIF

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