Russia’s Su-75 Checkmate: The Cheap ‘F-35’ That Might Never Fly

National Security Journal ^ | 7/21/2024 | Brent M. Eastwood

[whyilovetexas111]

The Su-75 is a single-seater with a Saturn AL-51F-1 engine that can push out Mach 1.8 with a range of 1,900 miles. However, many specs are unknown because this fighter may still be in development stage and is only appearing at air shows as a mockup. The first flight won’t happen until at least 2025. It is a light tactical fighter with five internal weapons bays for various unguided and guided munitions, hopefully, some of Russia’s best air-to-air or air-to-ground missiles. Russia believes it could someday employ a “loyal wingman” concept consisting of a tethering to an unmanned fighter or bomber.

[whyilovetexas111]

I think the Russians will get this off the ground and flying. It might not be $30 million, but even at 45 million, it would be a great plane for the money. What does FR say?

[Yo-Yo]

Made with the finest in stolen Boeing X-32 technology...

[Alter Kaker]

I think the Russians will get this off the ground and flying.

The US keeps selling hundreds of F-16s abroad, a 50-year-old design. Meanwhile Russian arms sales have vanished. Nobody wants Russian aircraft.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

I say that Russia has better engineers than than the USA. But we have more wymyn and tawny "engineers". K-12 in Russia is dead serious. They don't worry about dumbing down the curriculum for the dusky ones. Can't cut the mustard? They hand you a shovel and a certificate of completion. Adios Jamalsky!

[AndyJackson]

2/3 of our F 35s don’t get off the ground either.

[PIF]

What does FR say?

Birds of a Feather

SU-57

T-14 Armata

[Brilliant]

With replicator drones, this will soon be obsolete anyway.

[fastrock]

Thought Russians didn’t have comparable engines to US, but I’m not expert and I don’t play one on TV

[thinkthenpost]

Everything I have read about the Su-75 compared to the in service stealth fighters (F-22, Su-57, F-35, and even the J-20) makes me think it is either vaporware or at least very over promised.
Example would be range, admitted the SU-57 has long legs compared to the ‘22 and 35 but it is HUGE.
Where is the ‘75 going to put all the gas for a 1900 mile range, particularly with 5 weapon bays?
Also the degree of stealth of the ‘57 is still being discussed and for the J-20 my very limited understanding of the design elements involved to produce a stealthy fighter I always come back to those canards and how to limit reflections from them.
It just seems like all the effort stealing or recreating the intakes from the F-35 just goes out the window.
Sorry for the ramblings, thank you for you indulgence.

[The Duke]

I would be interested in a comparison of stealth features. From what I understand, the F35 is not stealthy from behind.

[Kudsman]

No apology necessary. Thank you for your interesting observations and indulging us.

[Texas resident]

The Russians developed very good jet engines with the help with captured German engineers. Then the soviets would steal our technology and reverse engineer it. The Chinese stole designs from the Russian engineers so some of their equipment was double reverse engineered. No problems there.

[Mr. Blond]

Israel also sells US tech to China.

[NorseViking]

It is a propaganda. There was a story that Su-57 is “inferior” due to a transition 4ty gen engine. The problem is that F-35 flies on transition engine as well. The reality is that Su-57 has finally got a 5ty gen engine and that of F-35 is over budget and behind schedule, likely to be canceled outright.