"Emka", who are you really?
That's how quietly and routinely the crew, consisting of test pilot 1st class Alexander Guskov and honored test pilot Andrei Voropaev, lifted the Yak-130M on its maiden flight. It happened in Irkutsk, aviation branch plant of PJSC Yakovlev.
A first flight is always a momentous occasion, even if the aircraft isn't destined for a long life. But in our case, that's exactly the case: the Yak-130M, which is designed to complement or replace the Yak-130, will, if all goes well, live and serve for a very long time.
What’s interesting is that it’s happening in parallel with the Yak-130, which no one is planning to write off, at least for now.
In an official statement, UAC reported that the flight lasted 50 minutes at altitudes of up to 2000 meters and speeds of up to 600 km/h. The flight mission was completed in full and without incident.
That's probably the best thing that could have been said, right?
Why is everything so interesting and why is so much attention being paid to the event, it is worth considering through history The Yak-130. And then we'll move on to the Yak-130M. And, looking ahead, we can draw some very interesting historical parallels.
So, here's the story.
And our history is known to almost all fans of our aviation. At one point, the time came to retire the L-39 Albatros, a Czechoslovakian training aircraft that paved the way for thousands of combat pilots to take to the skies.
Designed by Jan Vlček of Aero Vodochody, the product has received recognition in many countries. Aero Vodochody training aircraft are truly a classic. Easy to fly, forgiving of mistakes, and as reliable as a Yak-18. Only jet-powered.
For a long time, Soviet and Russian cadets conquered the skies in jet-powered Albatrosses. But in the 90s, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, following the USSR, collapsed, ties were severed and destroyed, and the question arose: what to do with the L-39, which the Czechs themselves had already discontinued: should they carry it as long as they could and then buy a replacement, or should they manage to make their own?
Considering how quickly the remains of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic ended up in NATO hands, the idea of purchasing the brand-new L-159 from them didn't exactly ring a bell. So they decided to do it themselves, since training aircraft are historically Yakovlev's "own, traditional" product. They compensated for the lack of funding by inviting the Italian company Alenia Aermacchi. The Italians, however, dropped out of the project at the final stage, taking their share of the technical documentation and using it to build their own training aircraft, the Aermacchi M-346, which bears a striking resemblance to the Yak-130.
Nikolai Dolzhenkov, Vitaly Naryshkin, and Konstantin Popovich carried their commitment to its logical conclusion, the introduction of the Yak-130 into production. And in doing so, they resolved the question of what would train future Russian pilots for many years to come.
Yes, and the Yak-130 became the first new Russian aircraft, developed entirely from scratch, without being based on modernization of an existing model.
It's worth noting that the Yak-130 is a trainer aircraft. This means it can be used as a combat aircraft. The aircraft has six pylons, which can carry up to 3,000 kg of payload.
But this is a very conditional load:
- unguided bombs and rockets;
- homing missiles type R-73;
- containers with guns;
- containers with reconnaissance equipment or apparatus EW.
A kit for a very light attack aircraft. For modern military conflicts, it's not very significant. The Yak-130's onboard equipment allows for simulating the operation of various combat aircraft during training, but there's a huge difference between simulating and actually flying. The Yak-130's key feature is its unique fly-by-wire control system, which allows the pilot to simulate the flight of virtually any other domestic aircraft, which is very useful for initial flight training.
The main drawback that stands between the Yak-130 and the title of a combat aircraft is the lack of a radar that would allow for full combat use.
After all, the Yak-130 was originally designed as a training aircraft for piloting fourth-generation aircraft. Its aerobatic capabilities were designed to closely approximate those of the Su-30 and Su-35 combat aircraft, albeit with a slight allowance for size. However, this was only in terms of aerobatic control and handling; combat use was not intended from the outset. It was a high-end training aircraft, after which pilots would transition to a real combat aircraft.
Apparently, after the successful use of the Yak-130, they began to think about moving forward, from a training aircraft to a combat training aircraft.
The rationale is clear: practicing combat use results in significant savings on the resources of real combat aircraft, which is truly beneficial.
So, what's the end result? It's quite interesting. Externally, the Yak-130M is virtually identical to its predecessor, but "modernization" isn't quite the right word. Looking at the abbreviation, the Yak-130/Yak-130M pairing is aptly compared to the Tu-22/Tu-22M pairing. The letters and numbers are almost identical, but the meaning is different, as the aircraft were completely different.
Yes, there are some smart alecks out there (mostly in the West) who insist that the Su-35 is a major upgrade of the Su-27. There's no point arguing with them, because these guys are like parrots – they just repeat what they remember. The Yak-130M differs from the Yak-130 in the same way that the Su-35 differs from the Su-27. There are similarities externally, but they're completely different internally.
What's inside?
The most important thing is the radar and radar system, the "eyes" of any combat aircraft. Given 20 years of service, the onboard systems have been radically upgraded, allowing, for example, not only radio communication with other aircraft and ground stations but also the exchange of tactical data, which is a much more significant feature.
A satellite communications module has been added. All of this significantly expands the weapons suite, because the OLS has been added—there are laser-guided bombs; the satellite communications module has been added—it can correct the trajectory of missiles or, again, bombs with the UMPK system. The radar—that means welcome to the suspension of any missiles.
New multi-lock beam racks (pylons) have been developed for the Yak-130M, each of which can carry four 100 kg bombs. The presence of the OLS allows for the suspension of four (!) cannon pods, turning the training aircraft into a very promising bomb hunter. drones.
Overall, the result is a very capable aircraft, capable of engaging air and ground targets day and night, in adverse weather, and with a fairly decent weapons suite. It's just a small plane, but otherwise, it's a serious performer.
Today, of course, we have the fight against on our agenda drones and missiles, which, let's admit, have already gotten on everyone's nerves.
In fact, as has been stated on our pages many times, virtually any aircraft, from the Yak-18 to the Su-34, can be used to combat drones. The only question is effectiveness.
If it's a propeller-driven drone, then at its speed, it's best to engage it with helicopters or small aircraft of comparable speed. A subsonic cruise missile or a jet-powered drone is beyond the capabilities of a helicopter, so a subsonic turbojet aircraft would be ideal. Preferably, it should be a two-seater, so the operator can safely engage enemy drones.
There are many possible uses for such an aircraft. And it's best to simply forget about the role of a light attack aircraft, polishing the front lines. That role has long since ceased to be suitable for attack aircraft.
In fact, the Yak-130M has quite promising prospects. Considering that the Yak-130 has been a popular purchase worldwide and is no worse than the Italian aircraft, the combat version has no worse prospects. Many countries around the world require such a light combat aircraft, as their air forces face missions that make using a heavy aircraft like the Su-30 or Su-35 impractical due to the sheer excess of capabilities of heavier aircraft.
The aircraft is frankly excellent: fast, maneuverable, undemanding of airfield conditions, and can take off and land anywhere. And it has a fairly decent combat load, only half that of the JAS.39E/F Gripen, for example. And, importantly, the cost is a quarter of that.
The main thing is the ability to retrofit various systems in external pods. Reconnaissance equipment, cannon and machine gun armament, electronic warfare—these are open and easily solvable. Or something else. And since the Yak-130 has found its customers, it's quite possible that many of them will want to purchase the new model. It has export potential, as do all Soviet/Russian aircraft, but such an aircraft is primarily needed in Russian skies.
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