MOSCOW. Nov 2 (Interfax-AVN) - The draft of the 2005 state defense order earmarks funds for the construction of one YAK-130 combat trainer for the Russian Air Force, Oleg Demchenko, the Yakovlev design bureau president, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
"The YAK-130 to be ordered for the Russian Air Force next year will be the third experimental aircraft. The sooner it is built, the sooner official tests will be over, and the aircraft will be put into mass production," he said.
According to him, about 300 million Russian rubles ($10 million) are likely to be earmarked for research and development under the YAK-130 project in 2005.
Demchenko added that serial production and fielding of YAK-130 would starts exactly after the official tests are over.
"We are quite realistic when expecting the Defense Ministry to acquire 100-150 aircraft before 2015," he 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.