MOSCOW. Nov 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The decision has been made to resume state flight tests of the Yak-130 combat trainer, which were suspended after last summer's crash in the Ryazan region," a spokesman for the Russian defense industry told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.
"The resumed tests will involve the Yak-130 prototype with the board number 01, which is effectively ready for flights," the spokesman said.
The deadline for getting the preliminary conclusion on the plane's compliance with the customer's requirements so far remains the same and is still set at the end of the year, he went on.
"State flight tests of combat application may involve any of the two available Yak-130s, but the plane with the board number 02 is most likely to take part in them. There are accords on building the fourth Yak-130 prototype circa September 2007. The developer will pay for the plane's creation using the insurance money obtained after the Yak-130-03 crash. The money should be enough to make the fourth plane," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier that the accident with the Yak-130 aircraft will not impede plans to adopt it for service with the Armed Forces.
"The accident will not exert any significant influence on the plans to commission Yak-130," Ivanov said. He added that the Defense Ministry is going to buy 12 such aircraft in 2007, and will start acquiring them regularly since 2008.
He also said that the crashed Yak-130 was insured, and the Defense Ministry did not suffer a heavy financial loss therefore. "Nobody can guarantee improbability of accidents in the course of tests of such complex weapon systems," Ivanov said.
According to an earlier statement by Irkut Corporation President and Yakovlev Design Bureau Director General Oleg Demchenko, the reason behind the accident of the new combat trainer, which crashed in the Ryazan region on July 26, was the malfunction in the control system.
"The accident investigation act signed by a competent commission reads that the most likely reason of the crash was the failure in the circuit of the KSU-130 control system of the aircraft, which prevented the redundant control system from due operation," Demchenko said.
The two-man crew of the ill-fated aircraft bailed out successfully.
According to experts, the Yak-130 is a most likely candidate for service with the Russian Air Force and in foreign fleets. Yakovlev experts say a total of 2,500 aircraft might be sold before 2020. The fact is that more than 2,000 training jets and combat training planes will be decommissioned from service before 2015.