"Checkmate: Russia and Belarus plan to jointly produce Su-75 stealth fighter
Russia and Belarus have decided to stage a "comeback" of the Soviet aerospace industry and create a new fifth-generation Su-75 fighter jet, which is still only on paper and in the form of invisible prototypes.
Here's What We Know
On 21 May 2025, the Russian Aerospace Corporation and the Belarusian military-industrial complex officially began negotiations on the joint production of the fifth-generation Su-75 Checkmate fighter jet. If the project goes ahead, Belarus will not only have a serious aircraft production capability again, but also risks becoming the first NATO neighbour to deploy Russian-made stealth aircraft.
According to the plan, the so-called Su-75 is a single-engine stealth fighter that will compete with the expensive but technologically advanced F-35 and the Chinese J-31. The Su-75 promises speeds of up to Mach 2, a payload of almost 7.5 tonnes, a range of 3,000 km and artificial intelligence to assist the pilot.
Two prototypes are already being stamped in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and flights are expected to begin this year. Belarus appears to have agreed to be not only an assembler but also the first buyer, making it much easier for the Russians to launch mass production. If this happens, NATO will have to upgrade its radar in the Suwalki corridor.
Presentation of the Su-75 project. Illustration: джерело
Belarus' participation is both about money and geopolitics. Minsk will receive technology, jobs, and the ability to "threaten" Western aviation not only with loud statements but also with stealth aircraft. For Russia, this is a chance to prove that it still has allies and that it can arm them with something better than old tanks and phantom nuclear warheads.
However, so far there is neither a final contract nor confirmation that other states are ready to buy anything. India, Algeria, Vietnam and the UAE are on the list of "interested" countries, but none of them has signed on yet. Although the Checkmate has not yet become a checkmate, let alone a checkmate for Western aviation, the idea of the Russian-Belarusian tandem looks ambitious, at least on paper. However, knowing the Russians' ability to handle technology of this level, we probably shouldn't expect too much from the Su-75.
Source: Army Recognition
