Yak-130: News

Russia’s Yak-130 Joins Philippine Combat Trainer Tender

Russia has decided to join a tender on the delivery of six light fighter jets to the Philippines with its new Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten combat trainer, state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday.

“We are taking part in the Philippine tender with the Yak-130 aircraft,” deputy general director of Rosoboronexport, Viktor Komardin, said at the Defense Services Asia-2012 arms show in Malaysia.

The tender for six aircraft to replace the retired U.S.-built Northrop F-5A Tiger fighters was announced last year. The results will be made public in two to three months, the Russian official said. Two rival designs, the Italian Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and South Korea's KAI TA-50, are also competing in the tender

The Philippines is a new market for Russian arms exporters. Manila used to order military equipment mainly from the United States.

“We regard this tender as an opportunity to expand our influence in the region and to demonstrate the capabilities of our military equipment,” Komardin said.

The Yak-130 is a highly maneuverable aircraft 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.

The Yak-130 has been chosen as a basic aircraft for Russian Air Force pilot training. First deliveries started in 2009.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120418/172892388.html

Irkut Plans Yak-130 Sensor Upgrade

RIA Novosti

Russian aircraft maker Irkut is planning a sensor-package upgrade program for the Yak-130 advanced jet trainer, including the installation of radar and electro-optical systems, Irkut head Alexei Fedorov said on Wednesday.
"We plan to 'grow' the capabilities of this aircraft, fitting a radar and electro-optical, thermal and laser systems," Fedorov said. The upgrades are primarily to enable the aircraft to be used for advanced weapon training, he said, as well as combat roles.
"Increasing the Yak-130's combat potential also allows it be potentially used in local conflict situations," he said.
The Yak-130 is an advanced jet trainer, suitable for converting pilots to flying advanced fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft. It has advanced "glass cockpit" multifunction cockpit displays, and is highly maneuverable. The aircraft is currently in production for the Russian Air Force, and a number of export customers including Algeria.
Fedorov said Irkut would be ready to carry out a previousy signed contract with Syria for delivery of the Yak-130, if and when political approval was given. Russia has a $550-million contract with Syria for the delivery of 36 Yak-130s.
"We'll be ready to fulfil the contract when we get an indication from the government," he said.
Last week, on the sidelines of the Farnborough Air Show in Britain, the deputy head of Russia's military-technicial cooperation commission, Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, said Russia had decided to suspend the Yak-130 contract to Syria while the country was in a state of internal conflict.
“Until the situation stabilizes, we will not deliver any new weapons [to Syria],” he said.
Irkut will also take part in a Malaysian tender for delivery of 18 advanced jet trainer aircraft which is likely to be announced later this year. Irkut has an advantage in that competition, Fedorov claimed, because Russia has previously delivered aircraft to that state and "we have an after-sales system there," he said. "We also intend to improve our offer with an offset program, and technology transfer," he said.
Irkut has previously delivered Su-30 MKM multirole fighter aircraft to Malaysia.

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20120718/174661123.html

A light fighter version of the Yak-130 would be very interesting... especially with a radar and EO system fitted.

It would greatly increase the effectiveness of the aircraft and add a range of weapons it could effectively use.

And it would be appealing to smaller countries as a cheaper fighter that could also be used as a fighter trainer, but also as a light strike aircraft with two seats and single seat fighter etc etc.

The potential for a single seat fighter model with perhaps a new single engine configuration using something like the 9.5 ton developed RD-33 engines or perhaps even a single Al-31, but obviously size and weight would be a huge issue... too big an engine and there is no room left for fuel and the range is too short or it uses all its weapon pylons for fuel tanks.

Even in Russia could radar equipped Yak-130 increase number of AD fighters where and when needed. In combination with Russian IADS and Mig-31BM, Su-35 and PAK-FA fighters even Yak-130 could be very effective, specially against less maneuverable targets like transport planes, helicopters, attack planes, cruise missiles, etc

Russian Air Force Accepts First Yak-130

Russia’s Irkut aircraft-manufacturing plant delivered the first six Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten combat trainers to the Russian Air Force on Thursday, a spokesman for the Western Military District said.

“On October 4, the first batch of Yak-130 combat trainers fly from the Irkut plant to the Borisoglebsk airfield [Voronezh region] after an extensive flight testing program,” Col. Andrei Bobrun said.

The Irkut aircraft maker and the Russian Defense Ministry signed in December 2011 a contract for the delivery of 55 Yak-130 jets by 2015.

The Yak-130 is a highly maneuverable subsonic jet with an extended range of about 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) and a maximum speed of 600 mp/h (1,060 km/h) in level flight. It can carry a combat payload of up to 6,600 pounds (3,000 kg), consisting of a variety of Russian and Western-developed weapons.

As an advanced jet trainer, Yak-130 is suitable for training or re-training pilots to fly fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

It can also carry out a variety of light-attack and reconnaissance missions.

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20121004/176404472.html

Good news. Yak-130 is also good for peacetime air patrols and escorts, so pilots could get more flight hours for less money.

I read in a bulgarian aviation magasine that there was gonna be a new aoerobatic group formed composed of Yak-130s to compete with the frecce tricolori and such. It said that that the group was going to form somewhere around august 2012 but I still havent heard anything. Is there really an aerobatic group being formed or these are jst empty rumours and the VVS is completely satisfied with the strizhi and vityazi and has no interest in forming a group composed of light aircraft.

I seem to remember they had a display team that flew the older jet trainers... L-29s?

Or am I mistaken...

As they change to the new aircraft it would make sense for them to shift to the new type if that is the case.

Yak had a chart of different variants that they had come up with for the Yak-130 including an unmanned drone model... it will be interesting to see which types make it to the prototype level.

The Active Radar Homing seeker shown a while back that was described as being for upgrading AAMs and SAMs that had a diameter that could only be used in the R-73 or the OSA/TOR SAM would make an interesting new weapon for the Yak-130.

Certainly the new Morfei 9M100 SAM/AAM could possibly compliment it, though it might be a very small and slim weapon to increase the capacity for carriage in internal weapon bays, so it might be a case of R-73s with ARH seekers and Morfei as the standard short range IIR guided AAM for the Yak-130 in an interceptor role.

Such a weapon combination might be useful for helos like the Ka-52 on the Mistral carriers.

Of course if there is a lot of export demand I would love to see an RD-33 powered Yak-130 with a single engine and an AESA radar in the nose...

A redesigned lightened 5th gen engine model would be good to improve performance into transonic and supersonic speeds.

I think the team, that fly in L-39 is named Rus, but, i'm not sure. Maybe they will replace L-39 with Yak-130, when there will be enough Yak-130 in service.

I wonder, if those new Yak-130 from Irkut are already upgraded with radar or they are still basic ones.





I always thought Yak-130 doesn't have RWR, but it seems they are placed on wingtip hard points.

Vietnam, Malaysia Eye Russian Yak-130 Trainer

ZHUHAI, November 14 (RIA Novosti) – Malaysia and Vietnam are interested in buying Russian-made Yak-130 Mitten combat trainers, a source in the Russian delegation at the Air China aerospace show told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

“Malaysia will need new combat trainers in the near future to replace the outdated Italian-made M-339 aircraft,” the source said.

“The chances are high that Malaysia may purchase the Yak-130 as the country has been one of the key buyers of Russian military aircraft and our planes have been tested there for years,” he said.

The same refers to Vietnam, which has bought Russian Su-30MK2 jet fighters in the past, the source added.

Russia's Yak-130 is also a competitor in a tender for delivery of six light fighter jets to the Philippines to replace retired U.S.-built Northrop F-5A Tiger fighters.

The Yak-130 is a highly maneuverable aircraft 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.

The Yak-130 has been chosen as a basic aircraft for Russian Air Force pilot training. First deliveries started in 2009.

http://en.rian.ru/military_news/20121114/177459845.html

The training squadron of Borisoglebsk air base will acquire 25 Yak-130 aircraft by the end of the year

The training squadron of Borisoglebsk air base located in Voronezh Region will have 25 Yak-130s by the end of the year, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the representative of the Ministry of Defense, Air Forces, Colonel Vladimir Deryabin.

The head of press-service of the Western Command, Colonel Andrey Bobrun, stated earlier that the training base will be outfitted by only 15 such vehicles in 2012.
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"The training squadron of Borisoglebsk air base will be outfitted with 25 Yak-130 by the end of this year", — Vladimir Deryabin noted.

http://www.ruaviation.com/news/2012/12/5/1390/

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/405697.html
Yak-130s being parked under cover! Finally!

The Russian aircraft company “Irkut”, which is located in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, is currently perfecting the combat and training plane “Yakovlev-130”. The new, modified model of this plane will most likely be of great demand both in Russia and in several other countries.

“Yakovlev-130” is the first military plane which was created in Russia in after the collapse of the Soviet Union. That time, the 1990s, when many branches of industry in Russia were experiencing a crisis, was not easy for Russian aircraft industry as well.

Most likely, “Yakovlev-130” will be the last plane released under the name “Yakovlev”. This doesn’t mean, however, that the legendary Russian Yakovlev aircraft design bureau is ceasing to exist. The reason is that the bureau has become a part of the “Irkut” company. Now, Yakovlev planes are being built at a plant in Irkutsk which belongs to the “Irkut” company.

Employees of “Yakovlev” say that becoming a part of “Irkut” was a favor for them. This amalgamation allowed them to produce more planes – in 2012, Russia’s air forces received 25 “Yakovlev-130” planes.

However, just a few years ago, it was rather uncertain whether the “Yakovlev-130” plane would be released at all. First, this plane had a serious competitor – the Russian plane “MiG-AT”. Second, the entire situation in the Russian aircraft industry was rather unstable. Besides, for some time, the Yakovlev bureau has cooperated with the Italian “Aermacchi” company, and it is hard to say whether this cooperation was profitable for “Yakovlev” or not. On the one hand, when the Italian company was still in this joint project, it quite legally acquired access to the Russian bureau’s know-how. Now, “Aermacchi” has withdrawn from this project but is releasing a plane called “M-346”, which is similar to “Yakovlev-130” like a twin, and which is now a competitor for the Russian plane. On the other hand, the money, which the Italian company invested in this joint project, allowed “Yakovlev” to survive a period when the state was not financing it at all. Besides, “Yakovlev” started to release its new plane earlier than “Aermacchi” began releasing its analogue, which will most likely allow the Russian company to receive more orders for its plane than its former Italian partners (now competitors) may receive for its analogue. Moreover, engineers from the “Irkut” company are constantly perfecting the construction of “Yakovlev-130”.

The plane’s new model will be able to carry some additional kinds of weapons, like air-surface missiles “X-31” and “X-38”. Besides, the plane can be perfectly used for training young pilots.

Experts say that with the current development of military equipment, pilots should rather be trained on real combat planes than on their training versions. (Russian pilots sometimes dub training planes “flying school-desks”.) True, using real combat planes instead of training planes is more expensive and demand a more developed infrastructure at training centers. But using real combat planes for this purpose present quite a few other merits, and experts say that the final result is worth all the expenditures. Thus, the demand for the new Russian plane in the world is now large and will most likely be large in the foreseeable future.

In Russia, the demand for “Yakovlev-130” is large as well. The short-range plans of the Russian Defense Ministry include acquiring 65 such planes. In total, it is planned that the Russian Air Forces will have more than 200 “Yakovlev-130” planes.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_13/New-Russian-plane-for-training-and-combat/

10 countrys from South-East Asia and other regions want to buy yak-130 say Viacheslav Davydenko from Rosoboronexport
Source voice of Russia(Portuguse version)

dino00 wrote:10 countrys from South-East Asia and other regions want to buy yak-130 say Viacheslav Davydenko from Rosoboronexport
Source voice of Russia(Portuguse version)

Brazil is apparently interested. Part of the deal might include equipping the YAK-130 with the SCP-01 Scipio radar (Italian-Brazilian radar) which is used by Brazil's AMX fighter-bombers.

Brazilian Mectron negotiates sale of radars to equip Russian fighters (in Portuguese)
http://www.aereo.jor.br/2013/02/16/brasileira-mectron-negocia-venda-de-radares-para-equipar-cacas-russos/#comments

The Scipio Platform: the AMX attack jet
Source: Embraer
Dear Client,

Scipio is an airborne, multimode, I-band radar. Brazil is its only known customer, and the AMX attack jet is its only platform. Scipio radar is manufactured by Mectron - Engenharia of Brazil. The main competition for Scipio comes from Israel Aircraft Industries' Elta Systems radars. Elta's EL/M-2032 and EL/M-2001 have been selected over Scipio for Venezuelan and Italian AMX aircraft respectively. An interesting note is that the Scipio (SCP-01) radar is currently featured in the online Galileo Avionica airborne radar brochure. Galileo Avionica is part of Finmeccanica. This advertising may be an attempt to raise interest in this radar and boost sales.

http://emarketalerts.forecast1.com/mic/abstract.cfm?recno=128816

Info and pic of the Scipio (Portuguese)
http://www.aereo.jor.br/2009/09/27/radar-scp-01-scipio/

The nice thing about the Yak-130 now is production capacity.
It is well mastered and being procured in numbers for the RuAF, as well as already exported.
Irkut can make 30 Yak-130s per year right now if it wants to, so even accounting for 15 RuAF birds per year, an export customer would get their birds fast.

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/524923.html

First 3 Yak-130s delivered of the year. Another 16 are to be delivered this year.

Now that is a proper pace of delivery.

Irkut Sees Export Prospects for Yak-130

PARIS — The Russian maker of the Yak-130 trainer/light-attack aircraft hopes to sign a deal with Bangladesh this year, the latest in Irkut’s export push, according to the program’s director.

At the Paris Air Show on Wednesday, Irkut’s Konstantin Bobovich added that Belarus signed a contract in December to import the trainer, which flew at the air show.

He said “many countries have expressed their interest,” including those in Latin America, Southeast Asia and former Soviet republics. Irkut has been “coordinating quite intensive negotiations,” he said through a translator.

Meanwhile, domestic delivery of the aircraft is proceeding. In 2011, the Russian Air Force signed a contract for 55 Yak-130s to be delivered by 2015, with an option for another 10 aircraft. Irkut delivered 15 planes to the Air Force last year and plans to deliver another 18 this year.

In April, Russian flying cadets began making solo flights. “Everyone agrees the aircraft meets the necessary requirements for training,” Bobovich said. “It is good enough for rookie pilots and also good for advanced students about to complete school.”

The Yak-130 has a maximum combat payload of 3,000 kilograms and a maximum range of 1,600 kilometers, and its parameters have been validated by pilots, he said.

As it helps develop pilots and explores more export orders, the company is also turning toward upgrading the aircraft to make it more marketable, Bobovich said. That includes adding an optronic system pod, in-flight refueling system, airborne radar and widening the weapons options of the aircraft.

Looks great.
One more photo of that plane.

http://russianplanes.net/id114853

Looks great.
One more photo of that plane.

Nice photos guys... interesting that top left of your shot is an amphibious plane... Be-200? in front of an Il-76.

It actually looks like the original A-42.

http://dmitrydreamer.livejournal.com/48509.html

A really nice photoreport of Yak-130s doing their thing.

3 New YAK-130 delivered to Russian Airforce

Corporation "Irkut" BBC Three Russian Yak-130

"По словам Бондарева, в будущем Минобороны намерено покупать еще и другие Як-130. "Набор будет увеличиваться. Будем брать эти самолеты. И будем брать не меньшей партией, чем 55 машин""

According to Bondarev, after the current contract for 55 birds by 2015, the MOD will order another batch at least as big from Irkut.