Production of military aircraft by United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the Russian state-owned company that is the parent company of several manufacturers, continues at a slow but apparently steady pace.
After sending new Su-35S, Su-34 and Su-57 fighters, the UAC announced that it had delivered a new batch of Yak-130 training jets manufactured by Irkutsk.
As is customary, the UAC did not reveal how many aircraft were delivered, but it is understood that there were two Yak-130s seen in the publicity images.
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The company rarely sends more than two planes per batch and often only one jet is delivered, even so called a “batch”.
“At the current stage, significant resources of the plant are also focused on fulfilling the tasks of supplying Su-30SM fighters and Yak-130 combat trainers for the needs of the army and navy. The Yak-130, produced in Irkutsk, today plays an important role in the practical training of Aerospace Forces pilots,” said Yuri Slyusar, General Director of the United Aircraft Corporation.
Partnership with Aermacchi
The Yak-130 has a curious background. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union depended on training aircraft supplied by the Czech company Aero Vodochody, which supplied hundreds of jets such as the L-29 Delfin and L-39 Albatros.
Shortly before the end of communism, the Air Force began a competition with design bureaus to choose a successor for the Albatros.
Yakovlev was the winner with the Yak-UTS project, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union, resources dwindled and the bureau had to look for a partner.
With the reconnection with the West, Yakovlev may strike a partnership with Aermacchi, from Italy, famous for several jet trainers.
Together, they created the Yak/AEM-130, a twin-engine jet with very satisfactory performance and secondary ground attack capability.
In 2000, however, the joint venture was terminated, due to the lack of financial compensation from Russia. The two companies then reached an agreement to produce the aircraft separately and market them in different regions.
Aermacchi (now part of Alenia) renamed the jet the M-346 Master while the UAC renamed it the Yak-130.
