Russian Test Pilots Perform First Flight of Upgraded Yak-130M Combat Trainer

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. Russian test pilots performed the first flight aboard the upgraded Yak-130M combat trainer aircraft at a speed of up to 600 km/h, the state technology corporation Rostec reported.

"The debut flight of the Yak-130M aircraft prototype took place at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a subsidiary of the Yakovlev Aircraft Enterprise (part of the United Aircraft Corporation within the state corporation Rostec). The aircraft was piloted by the crew of 1st Class Test Pilot Alexander Guskov and Distinguished Test Pilot Andrey Voropayev," the Rostec press office said in a statement.

The flight lasted about 50 minutes at altitudes of up to 2,000 meters and at speeds of up to 600 km/h, it said.

"The flight plan was implemented in full and there are no issues with the aircraft," the press office reported.

The upgraded Yak-130M combat trainer features technological advantages. In particular, it has received advanced onboard systems, a modern radar and a weapons suite that includes air-to-air and air-to-surface aircraft-launched weapons, Rostec said.

"The upgrade will make it possible to fully address training and combat tasks in any weather conditions, day and night at the level of modern aircraft platforms. The Yak-130M’s combat objectives include destroying ground and aerial targets, among them heavy-class unmanned aerial vehicles," the press office quoted United Aircraft Corporation CEO Vadim Badekha as saying.

As Russian Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Gennady Abramenkov highlighted, the aircraft has "high potential for addressing a broad range of tasks in the customer’s requirements."