KUBINKA, Moscow region. Aug 12 (Interfax) - The Yakovlev Yak-130M training combat aircraft, once upgraded, will become a full-fledged light jet fighter with an expanded set of weapons, Rostec deputy chief Vladimir Artyakov said.
"The ideas embodied in the updated machine will enable it to carry substantially more weapons compared with the usual Yak-130. In particular, the additions will include air-to-air missiles and high-precision air-launched air-to-ground weapons with satellite and laser guidance systems. Essentially, the aircraft will become a full-fledged light fighter while retaining trainer functions," Artyakov was quoted by Rostec's press service as saying.
The Yak-130M aircraft could be of interest to foreign partners who are not planning on buying the heavier, most expensive version, he said.
Documentation is now ready for manufacturing prototypes as part of the design and experimental work commissioned by the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry, the state corporation said.
"We have already started to assemble Yak-130M prototypes at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. We plan to build three prototypes in total. Separate technical solutions in the interests of the Yak-130M program are being tried and tested on existing prototypes, including the machine now on display at the Army 2024 forum," Yakovlev's general director Andrei Boginsky was quoted by the press service as saying.
The Yak-130M is being fitted with capability-enhancing systems - a BRLS-130R onboard radar, a SOLT-130K laser optic thermal television system, a Prezident-C130 onboard defense system and a KCC-130 communications system, Rostec's data said.