On October 14, the Rostec state corporation reported that the Yak-130M’s weapons range will be expanded. The aircraft’s arsenal will include air-to-air missiles and high-precision air-to-ground weapons.
“In 2025, we have planned tests for the Yak-130M. We are supposed to receive the aircraft at the plant. Once we complete the factory testing program, we will hand the planes over for state testing,” said test pilot Roman Taskaev in an interview with RIA Novosti.
According to him, while the Yak-130 is used for pilot training in Russia, foreign customers are interested in it as a combat aircraft. For this reason, they have long requested that the aircraft be equipped with a radar to enhance its combat capabilities.
As per Roman Taskaev, foreign customers asked to install a radar on the Yak-130 from the first contract. Therefore, the designers increased the radar’s combat capabilities, which will allow it to track the ground situation and monitor weather changes.
As a result, the modernization focused primarily on the Yak-130’s combat capabilities, including expanding its range of armaments.
The modernized Yak-130M was first showcased at the “Army-2024” forum. Unlike earlier versions, the aircraft has now become a fully-fledged light fighter. This was achieved by installing the BRLS-130R onboard radar, the SOLT-130K optical-laser thermal television system, the “President-S130″ onboard defense system, and a new communication system. The Yak-130’s armament was also expanded to include air-to-air missiles and high-precision air-to-ground weapons.”
The Yak-130 combat training aircraft is a two-seat aviation system designed for basic and advanced pilot training. The “130th” allows pilots to be trained for most combat aircraft, including fourth and fifth-generation jets. Cadets can practice not only solo and group aerobatics but also missile launches, bomb drops, and cannon fire at ground and air targets. Additionally, the Yak-130 can serve as a light attack aircraft, capable of using almost the entire range of aviation weapons. Let’s go through everything step by step.
The Yak-130 made its first flight in April 1996, but it was just a technology demonstrator, and it was still far from the serial production of the aircraft that would replace the legendary Czechoslovakian L-39 “flying desk.” By the early 1990s, the L-39 was outdated, and the air forces needed new aircraft that were versatile, and suitable for basic flight training, combat practice, and maintaining pilot skills.
Several leading aviation design bureaus began working on the new system. However, only designs from Mikoyan and Yakovlev made it through the competition. At first, both bureaus collaborated with foreign partners—MiG with the French and Yakovlev with Italian engineers. However, in the final stages, each company continued independently. By 2003, the Yak-130 airframe was ready for production, while testing and work on systems and equipment continued. The first serial Yak-130 took to the skies on April 30, 2004, and all tests were completed by December 2009. The aircraft entered service with the Belarusian army in 2015, with the first batch of four units produced at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.
The Yak-130 is a new-generation jet trainer and combat aircraft. Experts highlight its excellent aerodynamics, maneuverability, outstanding takeoff and landing performance, high-angle-of-attack flight capability, and thrust-to-weight ratio.
The aircraft is powered by two AI-222-25 turbofan engines, each providing about 2,500 kilograms of thrust. It is tolerant of various basing conditions; design features allow it to operate even from unprepared airstrips, such as dirt runways as short as 1,000 meters.
The Yak-130 requires about 700 meters for both takeoff and landing. Notably, in May 2016, Belarusian pilots made the first-ever night landing of a Yak-130 on a highway.
This relatively small aircraft, weighing just over 4.5 tons, can reach speeds exceeding 1,000 kilometers per hour, with a stall speed as low as 180 kilometers per hour. Its practical ceiling, limited by the oxygen system, is nearly 13 kilometers, and it can reach that altitude in less than 5 minutes.
The Yak-130 is fully equipped with a digital cockpit, eliminating analog instruments. Pilots receive all information from multifunctional display screens. The head-up display of the lead pilot allows interaction with real and virtual targets, and in emergencies, helps return to base.
The primary purpose of the Yak-130’s extensive digital systems is pilot training. The electronic system allows for adjusting the aircraft’s stability and control characteristics for training purposes and serves as an active flight safety system. In the initial training stages, this system helps novice pilots and forgives piloting errors. In more advanced aerobatic or combat modes, the system can simulate various types of aircraft by uploading mathematical models of fighters, bombers, etc.
The system also trains pilots in combat techniques. The computer creates a simulated battle environment, allowing trainees to practice detecting, locking, tracking, and destroying targets with air-to-air missiles, or attacking ground targets, including simulating enemy air defenses.
While classified as a trainer, the Yak-130 can perform serious combat missions, including engaging slow-moving air targets or ground objects. Its combat radius is over 600 kilometers. The eight hardpoints under the wings and one under the fuselage allow it to carry up to 3,000 kilograms of combat load, including air-to-air missiles, bombs (even high-precision ones like the KAB-500), unguided rockets, and a GSh-23 gun pod.
With its simple design, reliable airframe, and powerplant, the Yak-130 stands out for its cost-effectiveness compared to its peers and especially to training versions of combat aircraft. It’s an ideal balance of training and combat capabilities.
As of 2024, Russia has exported 59 Yak-130 aircraft to various countries, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, and Myanmar. Additionally, 12 Yak-130s were supplied to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Iran has also received an unspecified number of these aircraft.
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