On July 20, 2021, the MAKS-2021 aerospace salon opens in Zhukovsky near Moscow. It will run until July 25. On this occasion, the state corporation “Rostec” (the main “coffer” of the salon) started a mysterious intrigue – it announced that a “fundamentally new military aircraft” would be shown at the exhibition. Whether we are talking about a new fighter or bomber, attack aircraft or attack drone – not a word. On the other hand, the message from Rostec further fuels the intrigue – for the sake of this, an Internet resource has even been created, on which there is a countdown to the premiere of the mysterious plane – July 20).
The state corporation's website says:
“Russia is one of the few countries in the world that has full-cycle technologies for the production of advanced aircraft systems, as well as a recognized“ trendsetter ”in the creation of combat aircraft. We are convinced that the new product developed by UAC specialists will arouse genuine interest not only in our country, but also in other regions of the world, including our competitors abroad. “
Here, of course, it is quite obvious that Rostec “according to the laws of business” is deliberately stirring up interest in the mysterious aircraft in order to lure as many buyers, specialists and ordinary people as possible interested in aviation and space technology to MAKS-2021. The revenue from the sale of tickets to the exhibition and the amount of contracts for the sale of “winged goods” depend on their number.
True, the advertising service of Rostec has already blabbed a little – it has published a teaser of a new combat aircraft, the presentation of which will supposedly take place on the first day of the MAKS-2021 aerospace show. (For those who are not in the know, a teaser is an advertising tool containing intriguing or tantalizing pieces of information, which, in turn, should generate interest from the target customer or push him to take the desired action. That is, to buy an airplane) …
In the 35-second video, you can see the outlines of the car – it is built according to the classic aerodynamic scheme – but no technical details are provided. Key features and unique properties of a fundamentally new fighter are shown in this very teaser in the form of allusions (hints), explained in Rostec.
Judging by the fact that the video and the project page are available only in English, the novelty is primarily aimed at foreign customers. Perhaps we are talking about a single-engine Sukhoi fighter, the creation of which was reported earlier. It is still known about him that it will be a super-maneuverable and inconspicuous supersonic machine.
DOSSIER “KP”
The single-engine stealth fighter is being developed in Russia. This became known back in 2020.
Rostec has taken on the development of Russia's first single-engine light tactical fighter.
The Sukhoi company, part of the Rostec state corporation, is already working on the creation of such a combat vehicle.
The fighter will receive improved take-off and landing characteristics thanks to the engine with a deflected thrust vector.
For this aircraft, the groundwork accumulated during the creation of the Su-57 is widely used, including the newest product 30 engine, radio-absorbing coatings, avionics, and a complex of new weapons.
Some tactical and technical characteristics of a promising fifth generation fighter look something like this:
Crew: 1 person;
Maximum speed: more than 2000 km / h
Weight: less than 18,000 kilograms;
Engine type: turbojet engine based on Product 30.
So far nothing is known about the armament of the promising aircraft, but experts believe that “it is possible to assume that there are two large internal-fuselage weapon compartments.” They (again, purely theoretically) can accommodate up to four medium-range air-to-air missiles.
The plans to create a single-engine aircraft were first announced by the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemizov, in December 2020. Both manned and unmanned versions of the fighter are being considered. The project is being carried out without attracting budget funds.
