Yak-130M Combat Trainer Makes First Flight for Rostec
Rostec says the upgraded Yak-130M combat trainer completed its first flight, showing new radar, weapons and expanded light fighter capabilities.
Rostec has reported the first flight of the upgraded Yak-130M combat trainer. The tests took place at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.
The aircraft was flown by first-class test pilot Alexander Guskov and honored test pilot Andrei Voropayev. According to Rostec’s press service, the Yak-130M stayed in the air for about 50 minutes, climbed to an altitude of 2,000 meters and reached a speed of 600 km/h.
Rostec said the upgraded aircraft is now a «two-in-one» platform: not merely a trainer, but effectively a full-fledged light fighter with capabilities far beyond those of its predecessor.
Developers say the Yak-130M received updated onboard systems, a modern radar and an expanded weapons suite. Its arsenal includes air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
According to the company, the modernization significantly broadens the aircraft’s role. The Yak-130M can perform both training and combat missions in any weather, day or night, at the level of modern aviation systems. It is also designed to strike ground and aerial targets, including heavy unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Yak-130M is an upgraded version of the baseline Yak-130, which is already operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces and is also in service with several countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.