2011 was indicative of the Yak-130 advanced combat trainer development programme. June saw the fulfilment of the government-awarded contract for the first 12-ship production-standard aircraft batch for the Russian Air Force. 10 of the planes in the batch were delivered to the Air Force Training Centre in the town of Borisoglebsk. A new contract was signed in early December for as many as 55 aircraft to be delivered to the Defence Ministry by 2015. In addition, the Irkut corporation started Yak-130 deliveries to the foreign launch customer in late November, and the 16 planes had arrived in Algeria by the New Year’s Day.

A decade ago, in 2002, the Yak-130 was selected in a tender as the baseline combat trainer for basic and advanced training of Russian Air Force pilots, after which the Defence Ministry ordered the first 12-ship batch from the Nizhny Novgorod Aircraft Plant. However, the advanced aircraft had to undergo a large-scale test programme before line units could accept it. The first production-configuration aircraft conducted its maiden flight in Nizhny Novgorod on 30 April 2004. It was followed by the second one a year later, and by yet another one in March 2006. The fourth Yak-130 flying prototype flew in summer 2008. The four aircraft were used for conducting the bulk of official tests during 2005 through 2009.

Proceeding from the first phase of the official trials, during which the Yak-130 was tested as a trainer, the preliminary report paving the way for manufacture of the first planes for the Russian Air Force was approved in November 2007. In April 2009, the Yak-130 passed the combat trainer phase of its official trials, having flown with its basic payload, and it flew with its expanded weapons suite in December. In the wake of the tests, RusAF Commander Col.-Gen. Alexandr Zelin signed the Yak-130 combat trainer acceptance report on 17 December 2009, clearing the aircraft’s operation by RusAF units.

The first deliveries took place two years ago, when the first four production-standard Yak-130s built by the Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod were delivered to the RusAF Combat and Conversion Training Centre (now Air Force Training and Operational Evaluation Centre) in Lipetsk during February through April 2010. Soon afterwards, on 09 May 2010, they were flown as part of the Victory Day Parade in Red Square in Moscow in commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the great victory in WWII.

The next five production-standard Yak-130s were brought from the Sokol plant to Air Force Training Centre in Borisoglebsk, Voronezh Region, early in April 2011. The Borisoglebsk training centre provides basic and advanced flight training to the cadets of the Krasnodar Air Force Academy (now an affiliate of the Zhukovsky and Gagarin Air Force Training and Research Centre), who then are posted to attack aircraft and tactical bomber units.

Fire more aircraft (two from Lipetsk and three brand-new ones from Nizhny Novgorod) were given to the Borisoglebsk training centre during June 2011. This completed the activation of the Yak-130 squadron in the centre. IPs have studied their planes through and through, with the first cadets to start flying training sorties on them this year.

With the governmental contract for the 12 production-standard Sokol-built Yak-130s for the Defence Ministry fulfilled, a decision was taken to award subsequent orders for aircraft of the type to the Irkut corporation that had begun to run full-scale Yak-130 production for export.

On 07 December 2011, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov signed a contract for a new major batch of Yak-130 combat trainers for the Air Force. Under the contract, Irkut will have delivered 55 Yak-130s to the Air Force until 2015. According to Irkut’s news release, a total of 65 Yak-130s are to be bought under the 2011-20 Governmental Armament Acquisition Programme.

The finer points of the contract were agreed on during RusAF Commander Col.-Gen. Alexandr Zelin’s visit to the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant (a subsidiary of Irkut) on 08 November. Accompanied by Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov and Irkutsk Aircraft Plant Director General Alexandr Veprev, the Air Force commander toured the unit assembly and machine assembly divisions of the plant, final assembly shop and flight-test facility. On completion of his visit, Alexandr Zelin said: “There is no problem with the fulfilment of the governmental materiel procurement programme [here]. We realise that in this country, there is simply no other company capable of making the Yak-130 as well as Irkut does. I am glad that the corporation has started exporting the product. I guess Irkut has opened up new vistas”. The RusAF commander also added: “Documents are being mulled over, under which Irkut will become the sole manufacturer of Yak-130 for the Russian Defence Ministry”.

“The signature of the contract with the Russian Air Force is a hallmark event to us. We have not delivered planes to our military for about 20 years, though the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant has made hundreds of warplanes for foreign customers. Now, the historical record has been put straight, with the Russian Air Force ordering aircraft from us. I quite agree with the Air Force commander that the Irkut corporation is quite prepared to fulfil the governmental order placed” said Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov. 

The first Yak-130s intended for the Russian Air Force are in final assembly at the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant. They are expected to be shipped as soon as this year.

Not long before landing the new lucrative order from the Russian Defence Ministry, Irkut had launched export deliveries of Yak-130s. The first three-ship batch was brought from Irkutsk to Algeria on 29 November 2011.

The Rosoboronexport company signed the contract for 16 Irkut-made Yak-130s for the Algerian Air Force in spring 2006. The first aircraft under the contract was made and submitted for testing in August 2009. After the customer had provided its final vision of the configuration it wanted and the relevant modifications had been introduced to the aircraft made, a large-scale Yak-130 ground school and flight training programme for Algerian flying and ground crews kicked off in Irkutsk last summer. The 16 Yak-130s had been delivered to Algeria and started flying by late last year.

“Algeria became the launch customer for the Yak-130”, Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov said in connection with the beginning of the export of advanced Yakovlev aircraft. “The Russian Air Force has already been operating the early aircraft of the type. There is keen interest in the plane, and I guess a great future is in store for it”. Irkut is in talks with a number of new foreign customers on Yak-130 deliveries. According to Irkut, the Yak-130 market capacity in the period prior to 2015 is estimated at 250 aircraft.

Delivery of advanced Yak-130s paves the way for learning to fly the new-generation combat aircraft the Russian Air Force orders. The aircraft have common features – supermanoeuvrability, high thrust-to-weight ratio and multirole capability – necessitating a drastic updating of the combat trainer fleet.
Owing to the Yak-130’s high enough combat capabilities, trainees can hone their skills in using many types of live air-launched weapons.

The Yak-130’s combat capabilities are expected to be higher than those of the current certificated baseline model further own the line. This may come true through installation of an IRST allowing the use of thermal imaging and laser beam-riding precision guided munitions and through equipping the aircraft with a radar enhancing its ability to deal with airborne and ground targets.