MOSCOW. Sept 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Funds for development and flight tests of the new YAK-130 training and combat plane will be provided by both the Defense Ministry and the Irkut corporation, Sergei Tsivilev, Irkut senior vice president for corporate economy and finance, said on Wednesday.
"Tests of the YAK-130 are underway, and the Irkut corporation takes part in their funding together with the Russian Air Force, which is the plane's customer," Tsivilev told Interfax-Military News Agency.
According to Irkut experts, expenses on research, development and tests related to the YAK-130 training variety will total $25-30 million. Additional investments totaling about $50 million will be required for development of the combat and training variety.
One more YAK-130 plane will be built at the Sokol aircraft plant in Nizhny Novgorod before the end of the year. "In fact, it is a pre-mass-produced sample which will speed up the tests," Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov said.
According to him, foreign customers have shown great interest in the aircraft. In particular, interest has been manifested by customers from Southeast Asia and North Africa. "Talks have shown that there is definitely serious interest in the aircraft. Several technical innovations embodied in the plane in line with Air Force requirements have received praise abroad," Fyodorov said.
The YAK-130 is a new-generation trainer. It is fitted with a re-programmable remote control system with quadruple duplication, which makes it possible to use the plane for basic and advanced training of pilots of all existing and future fighters.
Thanks to nine outer suspension points that can carry up to three tonnes of payload, the YAK-130 can be used as a light combat and training plane. Its operational, technical and cost-efficiency specifications by far surpass those of its competitors, and the plane has advanced export prospects.