Yak-130
Yak-130 is a new generation advanced military aircraft trainer. Aermacchi in collaboration with the Yakovlev Design Bureau and the SOKOL Aircraft Building Plant of the Russian Federation were developing a Western derivative called the YAK/Aem-130.
The Yak-130 is a two seat tandem intermediate and advanced jet trainer designed to fulfil the Russian Air Force UTS portion of the UTK system (the Yak-56, a modernised Yak-54 will probably handle basic training). The Yak-130 was designed to fulfill a Soviet/Russian requirement for a new generation trainer supplanting the widely used L-29 and L-39 Albatros.
As the Yak-130 has to perform maneuvers typical of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, Yak chose a moderately swept wing which made it possible to fly at angles of attack up to 35 deg. To improve takeoff and landing characteristics, the aircraft has been equipped with leading-edge slats and three-position Fowler flaps. All-moving tailplane and wing high-lift devices permit flight at large angles of attack. Perfect aerodynamic configuration is combined with a full-authority three- channel four-time redundant fly-by-wire system with a hazardous mode restriction facility.
The Yak-130 is powered by two RD-35 turbofans each 2,200 kgf which provide better takeoff/landing characteristics on soil airfields compared to those of similar aircraft, and feature good fuel efficiency. In addition, high thrust-to-weight ratio provides for maneuvers at large angles of attack with speeds never lower than a minimum permissible level. The engine is being developed under an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Slovakia.
The Yak-130 next generation jet trainer developed by Yakovlev design bureau has won approval of the Russian air force' leading flight test institute. The aircraft has demonstrated its high flight performance, proving that it fully complies to the specification. In particular, the aircraft has demonstrated stable and controllable flight at high alpha (up to 42 degrees), a unique future for airplanes of its class.
The Yak-130 is able to provide quality training for trainee pilots, enabling them to master in a short time flying on any forth- or fifth-generation fighter, including the Su-30 and MiG-29, Mirage, Harrier, F-15, F-16, Eurofighter, F-22, JSF etc. It is the only trainer available anywhere whose aerodynamic layout is similar to that of modern agile fighters. The effective wing with high-lift devices, extensive root extensions and all-moveable stabilizer allow aerobatics in a wide angle-of-attack spectrum. The fly-by-wire flight control system with redundancy factor of four allows, for training purposes, changes in stability and controllability parameters of the airplane accoring to these of a simulated aircraft type ("re-programming"), while also serving as an active flight safety system.
Combat training on the Yak-130 includes simulated and real firing with air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, bomb dropping, gun firing, mastering use of the airplane's on-board self-protection systems. The instructor can set and control "target behavior" from its seat in the aircraft. The automated on-board diagnostics and control system makes the aircraft easy to operate and maintain. The airframe has a design lifetime of 10,000 flight hours and 20,000 flight cycles during a calendar lifetime of 30 years. The airplane can operate from unpaved airfields.
Other versions proposed are Yak-131 fighter, Yak-133 and Yak-135. These might be recon, single seat fighter, side by side trainer, 4 seat VIP transport. Aircraft carrier trainers and 4 seat COD/VIP transports have been proposed. The Yak-130's basic design can be used to develop a whole range of versions, primarily combat aircraft beginning from a simple combat trainer all the way through a dedicated light attack aircraft, as well as deck trainers and aircraft for the training of civil and military transport aviation pilots. Combat versions of the aircraft are superior in performance to other airplanes in the same category. For example, the Yak-130's combat radius is twice that of the Hawk in the same conditions. The Yak-130 performs especially good in the pair with the Su-30, the two aircraft featuring similar information field of the pilot cockpit. Using Yak-130s for combat exercises allows save resources of the major fighter aircraft, be it the Su-30MKI or MiG-29K.
Employing the Yak-130 is reasonable for the Russian air force and air forces of such nations as India, China and Viet Nam. Yakovlev design bureau is ready to mutually beneficial cooperation with foreign customers and partners.
The M-346 is a new generation, modern technology advanced / pre-operational trainer designed to be superior to all existing products in its class. The aircraft is a fully Western derivative of the YAK/Aem-130, whose development was undertaken in collaboration with the YAKOVLEV Design Bureau and the SOKOL Aircraft Building Plant of the Russian Federation. Under such collaboration extremely useful results have been generated, including a demonstrator prototype extensively tested and demonstrated, and has led to a low risk development of the M-346. Such development has been solely undertaken by Aermacchi, due to different funding time scales in Russia and in Italy.
The M-346 is the most important program for Aermacchi, particulary in the framework of its future European alliances and in view of the future joint re-equipment of European training schools. The M-346 has been designed to provide the best possible balance between high training effectiveness and low life-cycle cost. Thrust-to-weight ratio near to 1, advanced aerodynamics, re-programmable full authority fly-by-wire control system, allow the M-346 aircraft to mimic the behaviour of modern fighters in the transonic flight envelope and up to very high angles of attack (over 40°), at a small fraction of their cost.
Italy, which has already tied up with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for production of 100-seater ATR-42 aircraft for civilian use, has offered a maritime version of the same aircraft for Indian Navy, besides offering its MB 339-FD trainer aircraft for India's Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT).
Yak-130 Program
Yak-130 was part of a competion to develop the next generation Trainers in the 1980's. It competitors were Mig-AT, Sukhoi S-54 and Myasishchev M-200. It was selected together with the MiG-AT for prototype development. After working with Aermacchi for most of the 90s, Yakovlev was on its own again, as the Italian company concentrates on its M-346 design, which retains the aerodynamic formula of the Yak-130, but is an all-new, fully westernised aircraft.
In early 2002 the Russian air force gave the Yak-130 the victory in the competition to equipment military aviation with new airplanes that can play the role of training and light combat aircraft. Its competitor, the MiG-AT, although it also would be supported by the air force, now can count on only foreign orders. The Yak-130 was announced as the winner of the contest to provide Russia's new military jet trainer on March 16, 2002. The most important advantage of the type in comparison with the rival MiG-AT was the Yak's ability to carry a three-ton weapon load. It is also a more agile aircraft with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.88 and a low wing load. Thanks to extended high-lift devices, long wing-root extensions and air intakes located under the wings, the angle of attack (AoA) that can be achieved by the Yak in the air amounts to as much as 35 degrees.
The initial pre-series Yak-130 flew for the first time on April 30, 2004 at Nizhnyi Novgorod with Roman Taskayev at the controls. In comparison with the Yak-130D technology demonstrator that had been flight tested from April 25, 1996, there are so many alterations that it is actually quite a different aircraft. The silhouette of the series aircraft is more compact - it is 41cm shorter than the prototype and its wingspan has been reduced by 94cm.
In February 12, 2005, the commander-in-chief of the Russian AF, General of the Army Vladimir Mikhailov, personally inspected the last stage of state acceptance tests of the Yak-130. This took place at the production plant's factory airfield at Nizhnyi Novgorod, where the General also made a familiarization flight with the jet. According to Mikhailov, "the aircraft includes so many new ideas that, for a long time, it will be second to none". In 2006, the first series aircraft will be delivered to the Russian AF combat training center 4th CBPiPLS at Lipietsk, followed by allocations to the pilot training school at Krasnodar.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced in early March 2005, that the Russian Armed Forces woudl begin to purchase the Yak-130 aircraft in 2005. As of mid-June 2006, Russian Air Force officials had said they were considering purchasing 250 new Yak-130 aircraft. In 2005 it was reported that the total number of Yak-130s that will be purchased by the Russian air arms until 2015 was estimated at 150-200 machines. Other sources suggest a more plausible objective of some 60 aircraft
