Russian Yak-130M Aircraft with Improved Weapons Capability Debuts at Army 2024

An upgraded Yak-130M combat trainer aircraft with air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons capability while retaining its training functions debuted at the Army 2024 event in Moscow.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation(UAC) presented the Yak-130M aircraft to expand the combat capabilities of the aircraft to increase its competitiveness in the foreign market.

The  updated aircraft will include air-to-air missiles and high-precision air-to-ground weapons with satellite and laser guidance systems.

"We expect that the modernized Yak-130M will be of interest  to our foreign partners who do not plan to buy heavier and more expensive aircraft. In essence, the aircraft will become a full-fledged light fighter, while retaining training functions," said Vladimir Artyakov, Deputy Director General of Rostec State Corporation.

As part of the R&D work carried out at the request of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the development of design documentation for the production of prototypes has been completed.

"We have already started assembling experimental Yak-130M at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. In total, we plan to build three experimental aircraft for testing. Individual technical solutions in the interests of the Yak-130M program are being tested on existing experimental aircraft, including the machine presented at the Army-2024 forum," noted Andrey Boginsky, CEO of PJSC Yakovlev.

The Yak-130M aircraft is equipped with systems that significantly increase its capabilities: the BRLS-130R onboard radar station, the SOLT-130K optical-laser thermal television system, the President-S130 onboard defense system, and the KSS-130 communications system.

The new systems and weapons will ensure the use of the Yak-130M aircraft for training and combat purposes around the clock and in difficult weather conditions.