Russia’s Yak-130 Combat Trainer to Debut at Farnborough 2012

Russia’s Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten trainer/light attack aircraft will be showcased for the first time at the Farnborough International Air Show as part of a large Russian exhibit.

About 55 Russian companies, including 19 defense industry firms, will take part in the airshow near London on July 9-15 to exhibit the latest achievements in the Russian aircraft industry.

The Yak-130 combat trainer is a subsonic two-seat jet aircraft developed by the Yakovlev design bureau. Development of the plane began in 1991, and the maiden flight was carried out in April 1996.

It is a highly maneuverable plane with an extended range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and a maximum speed of 1,060 km/h (600 m/h) in level flight. It can carry a combat payload of up to 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds), consisting of a variety of Russian and Western developed weapons.

In 2005, the plane won a Russian government tender for training aircraft and in 2009, the first planes entered service with the Russian Air Force, which placed firm orders for 55 aircraft.

The first export orders were signed in 2006, when Algeria ordered 16 Yak-130s and Libya put an order in for 6 planes.

Deliveries to Libya were expected in 2011–2012, but after the downfall of the Gaddafi regime, the Libyan National Transitional Council canceled Libya's order for Yak-130s in September 2011 as part of a review of all existing arms contracts.

Syria agreed to buy 36 Yak-130s for $550 mln in 2011.

The overall foreign market capacity for the Yak-130 is estimated at 250 aircraft.


Source: By Press agency news, Moscow - 06 July 2012 (RIA Novosti)

Photo: The Russian Air Force Irkut Yak-130 Mitten combat trainer is a subsonic two-seat jet aircraft (Photo by cnbc.com)

Russia’s Irkut displayed its Yak-130 combat trainer for the first time at Farnborough. The Yak-130 has been active in the Russian air force since 2010 but is now being sold as “fully integrated training system” and was demonstrated in a fly past.

Nicknamed the “flying computer” by Russian air force officers, the Yak-130 can be re-programmed to replicate the behaviour of various combat jets. It is the first military

(7/6/2012)