Production of the Yak-130M, an advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, is ongoing at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, with assembly of three prototype aircraft underway. Manufacturing and integration of systems and units into the airframes is progressing. This information comes via TASS, citing a representative from the Yakovlev design bureau’s press office.
“The date for the maiden flight will be determined once assembly of the first prototype is complete and ground testing has been conducted. The Irkutsk Aviation Plant’s production capacity is sufficient to build the Yak-130M. In terms of its design, the new aircraft maintains continuity with the baseline Yak-130 model, but will benefit from a number of significant enhancements,” stated the Yakovlev representative at the Aero India 2025 airshow in Bangalore.
A key element of the upgrade is the installation of a President-S130 defensive aids suite (DAS) in a podded configuration. The DAS is designed to protect the aircraft from air-to-air missiles, SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) – including MANPADS (man-portable air defence systems) – and anti-aircraft artillery by detecting threats and countering attacking weaponry. The design documentation for equipping the Yak-130M with the Pantsir-S130 DAS has been issued, and prototype containers are currently being manufactured for preliminary trials.
In August 2024, at the ‘Army’ forum, then-Director General of Yakovlev, Andrei Boginsky, revealed that assembly of the Yak-130M prototypes had already commenced in Irkutsk, with three aircraft to be built for testing. Specific technical solutions related to the Yak-130M programme are being trialled on existing Yak-130 development aircraft.
The Yak-130’s modernisation is aimed at strengthening its strike capabilities, making the aircraft more competitive in the global marketplace. In addition to the DAS, the upgraded jet trainer incorporates an onboard radar (BRLS-130R), an opto-laser thermal imaging system (SOLT-130K), and a communications suite (KSS-130). These systems will significantly expand the aircraft’s capabilities, improving its effectiveness in both combat missions and training sorties.
The Yak-130M will also receive an expanded weapons load, including air-to-air missiles and precision-guided air-to-surface ordnance with satellite and laser guidance systems. This will enable the Yak-130M to be used as a light fighter and ground attack aircraft, making the aircraft attractive to foreign partners interested in affordable and multi-role combat platforms.
Specific attention is being given to modernising the powerplant. Building on the baseline AI-222-25 engine, the United Engine Corporation is developing a new SM-100 engine with a 20 per cent increase in thrust and a doubling of service life. Improved performance has been achieved through modernisation of the low-pressure compressor, combustion chamber, and turbine. At the ‘Army’ forum in 2023, a UEC representative reported that the compressor and turbine were undergoing rig testing, while the combustion chamber was being tested in flight.
The maiden flight of the Yak-130M is planned for the first half of 2025, with the aircraft’s export potential estimated at 40 units.
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