Major Events at the 2025 Dubai Airshow: "Hunter" and "Checkmate" Team Up to Face Any Opponent

— The Russian Su-57 Fighter Aircraft Makes a Stunning Debut at the Gulf Airshow

(Source: Rosoboronexport)

On November 17, the largest and most authoritative aviation exhibition in the Middle East, the "2025 Dubai Airshow" (Dubai Airshow-2025), was launched in the UAE. The exhibition is under the patronage of the UAE Prime Minister and Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and it is held at the professional exhibition center "Dubai World Central," with its outcomes determining the future direction of the global aerospace industry.

According to the organizers' promotion, the exhibition will bring guests and participants an "unparalleled experience, as well as inspiration, excitement, and new ideas," because "Dubai has everything."

The organizers previously promised that the "2025 Dubai Airshow" would showcase approximately 1,500 exhibits from 47 countries; during the airshow period (November 17 to 21), it is expected to receive about 150,000 visitors.

Over 200 aircraft will be displayed in both the static area and the air show in Dubai, including military aircraft, drones, civil passenger aircraft, and business jets.

Naturally, we are most interested in the new products brought by Russia's defense industry, especially the debut exhibits of the United Aircraft Corporation (PAO "Ob"edinennoy aviastroytel"noy korporatsiyi).

One of them is the export version of the fifth-generation multirole fighter Su-57E (Su-57E) — this is the export version of the model, which was first showcased at the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow (Airshow China-2024).

The general manager of Rosoboronexport stated that currently, Russia is the only country in the world that simultaneously provides potential customers with "supply of fifth-generation multirole fighters" and "local production localization" services.

This also includes technology transfer — partners can use these technologies to independently develop their next-generation aircraft in the field of military technology.

However, the more impressive debut of Russia at the "2025 Dubai Airshow" is the drone version of the light tactical fighter Su-75 "Checkmate", which is positioned as a "loyal wingman".

Long before the airshow was held in the capital of the UAE, representatives of the United Aircraft Corporation had previously revealed that the airshow would bring professionals "surprises and highly watchable surprises".

But the actual scale of the display turned out to be far beyond all expectations. On the morning of November 16, it was reported that one of the major "surprises" was the display of the advanced stealth fighter Su-75 drone version.

There have been rumors for a long time that the Su-57 and Su-75 will offer both "piloted" and "unpiloted" versions — almost since the first appearance of the "Checkmate" aircraft at the MAKS-2021 Moscow International Aerospace Exhibition. But "rumors" are just rumors, and seeing and even touching them with your own eyes is another matter.

Even a preliminary analysis of the appearance of the Su-75 drone can help understand why the designers chose such a design, and there is every reason to speculate that the "Checkmate" drone version may become the basic version of the aircraft in the future. In addition, professionals believe that the two versions (piloted and unmanned) of this aircraft are likely to be mass-produced simultaneously.

In the context of this unexpected debut, the eight-year development work of the S-70 "Hunter" heavy attack drone by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and the entire Russian aviation industry takes on different meanings. This drone uses a "flying wing" layout and is positioned as a "loyal wingman" that can perform missions deep behind enemy lines.

However, due to its not very outstanding speed and maneuverability, it can be politely said that this drone is not suitable for participating in high-intensity air combat.

Evidently, the developers believe that for the Su-57 aircraft developed under the framework of the "Advanced Aviation Complex for Frontline Aviation" project, the autonomous drone version of "Checkmate" is a more suitable aircraft to fulfill the "loyal wingman" role.

This version's performance is no less impressive, retaining all the excellent maneuverability of the series aircraft; moreover, the technical achievements of the "Hunter" drone were practically verified in the development of the Su-75 drone.

According to Mikhail Nikitushkin, a designer from the Sukhoi Design Bureau (OKB P. O. Sukhoi), the Su-75 drone version will be equipped with the AL-41F1 engine (also known as "Product 117"), which has been specially modified for the drone version.

According to the manufacturer's public plans, the "Checkmate" drone will be sold to countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia — these regions have "very high reputation for Russian weapons".

Why did this undoubtedly promising drone choose to make a stunning debut at this time? The answer is simple: Autumn 2025 is the peak of the "loyal wingman" development competition.

The US defense-industrial complex has already demonstrated two drone prototypes: the YFQ-44A fighter developed by Anduril Industries, which is equipped with artificial intelligence, the "Tactical Gambit" (Strike Variant Gambit) drone developed by General Atomics, and the XQ-58 "Valkyrie" combat drone developed by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions.

The US also has other competitive development projects, but most are still not in the flight testing phase.

The similar equipment series exhibited by relevant countries are also impressive — in the past year alone, more than a dozen related equipment have been displayed.

Russia may not yet have reached such a rich variety, and perhaps does not need such diversity. However, the S-70 "Hunter-B" combat drone and the Su-75 "Checkmate" drone can completely form a "loyal wingman" golden pair with complementary advantages.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7573633641700442634/

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