History
In the early 1990s, the Soviet government asked the industry to develop a new aircraft to replace the Czech-made Aero L-29 Delfín and Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainers. Five design bureaus put forward proposals. Among them were the Sukhoi S-54, Myasischev M-200, Mikoyan MiG-AT, and Yakovlev Yak-UTS. In 1991, the other proposals were dropped and only the MiG-AT and Yak-UTS remained.
Development of Yak-UTS started in 1991 and the design was completed in September 1993. The same year, Yakovlev entered an agreement with the Italian company Aermacchi to work together on the plane, which now became Yak/AEM-130. The Yak-130 version was to be offered for the Russian and the M-346 version for the Italian market. On 10 April 2002, it was announced that Yak-130 had been chosen as the winner of the tender for trainer aircraft for basic and advanced pilot training, beating the MiG-AT.
Plans to develop a Light Attack Aircraft based on the Yak-130, came to a halt in the late 2011. Dubbed Yak-131, the aircraft failed to meet "enhanced pilot protection" requirements, put forward by the Russian Air Force. Focus has shifted to a Sukhoi Su-25 replacement, instead. The Light Attack Aircraft was slated to enter service by the year 2020.
Yak-130 completed its maiden flight, registered as RA-431130, on 25 April 1996 at Zhukovsky. The plane was put on display for the first time at the Paris Air Show in June 2005. The same year, the Russian Air Force made its first order for 12 Yak-130s. On 30 April 2004, the first pre-series Yak-130, assembled at the Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod, performed its maiden flight. It was followed by three more pre-series aircraft. In December 2009, the aircraft completed state trials and was accepted for service. The Russian Air Force intends to buy at least 72 Yak-130s, enough to equip four training regiments. Commander-in-Chief, Colonel General Aleksander Zelin, announced on November 8, 2011, that the Russian Defence Ministry was to sign a contract within two weeks with Irkut Corporation for 65 additional aircraft - 55 firm orders plus 10 options. Zelin stated that deliveries were expected to be completed by 2017.
The first serial aircraft was handed to a training center in Lipetsk on 19 February 2010. However, the Russian Air Force only took delivery of the first Yak-130 in October 2012.
Read more about this topic: Yakovlev Yak-130
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