The Yakovlev Yak-130 (Mitten) is a subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer, light fighter and potential light attack aircraft, able to replicate characteristics of Russian 4th and 5th generation fighters.
In the early 1990s, the Soviet government asked the industry to develop a new aircraft to replace the Czech-made Aero L-29 Delphin and Aero L-39 jet trainers. Five design bureaus put forward proposals. Among them were the Sukhoi S-54, Myasishchev M-200, Mikoyan MiG-AT and the Yakovlev Yak-UTS.
In 1991, the other proposals were dropped and only the MiG-AT and Yak-UTS remained. The air forces of the newly independent Russia estimated that its requirement would be about 1,000 aircraft. Development of Yak-UTS started in 1991 and the design was completed in September 1993.
The maiden flight was conducted on 25 April 1996. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, Yakovlev was compelled to look for a foreign partner. After having entered discussions in 1992, in 1993 it agreed with the Italian company Aermacchi to jointly develop the plane, which now became Yak/AEM-130, Aermacchi would be responsible for the project’s financial and technical support.
The first prototype, dubbed Yak-130D, was built by Sokol at Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, and was publicly unveiled in June 1995. The aircraft made its first flight on 25 April 1996 from Zhukovsky Airport at the hands of Yakovlev chief test pilot Andrey Sinitsyn.
In 2000, differences in priorities between the two firms had brought about an end to the partnership, with each developing the aircraft independently. The Italian version was named M-346; Yakovlev received US$77 million for technical documents of the aircraft.
In the agreement, Yakovlev would be able to sell the aircraft to countries such those in the Commonwealth of Independent States, India, Slovakia and Algeria, while Aermacchi would be able to sell to NATO countries.
In 2002, it won a Russian government tender for training aircraft and in 2009 the aircraft entered service with the Russian Air Force.
Users are currently Russian Air Force, Algerian Air Force, Bangladesh Air Force and Belarusian Air Force.
To date, 177 aircraft have been produced.
