Yak-130M

The Yak-130M is a modernised version of Irkut Corporation’s Yak-130 advanced trainer, reworked by its parent United Aircraft Corporation under Rostec into what Russian officials describe as a light combat aircraft tuned for air-defence and strike roles. The baseline Yak-130 has served Russia’s Aerospace Forces and export customers in Europe, Asia and Africa as a jet trainer for roughly two decades; the M variant was unveiled publicly for the first time at the El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt in September 2026. Rosoboronexport chief Aleksandr Mikheev announced at that show that a first export contract had already been signed, though the customer was not disclosed. According to Rostec, serial deliveries are planned to begin in 2028, with a third prototype completing its maiden flight in late October 2026.

Propulsion is handled by two AI-222-25 non-afterburning turbofans built by the United Engine Corporation, managed through a digital automatic control and monitoring unit. On top of the original trainer airframe, the manufacturer has fitted a new X-band active electronically scanned array radar — Rostec claims detection of low-observable aerial targets at up to 45 km — paired with the podded SOLT-130K multispectral sight, which combines thermal, television and laser channels. Russian state sources quote detection ranges of 55–65 km for fighter-sized targets and 18–25 km for small UAVs, though neither figure has been independently corroborated. Advertised weapons load is 2.5 tonnes, with 500 kg satellite- and laser-guided bombs for strike work and S-8L guided rockets together with Igla-V missiles for engaging slow-moving aerial threats. A President-S130 self-protection suite — missile approach warning, jamming of radar and infrared seekers, and decoy dispensers — has been integrated for survivability. Rostec presents the counter-drone mission as central: official statements say the aircraft is intended to engage “heavy-class” one-way attack UAVs of the type Russia itself fields over Ukraine.

More than 100 baseline Yak-130s are reported in Russian service, and milbloggers close to the ministry argue that modernising part of that fleet lets the air force take on local air-defence tasks without diverting frontline fighters. Export marketing at El Alamein placed the Yak-130M alongside the S-71M “Monokhrom” loitering munition, the S-71K “Kovyor” low-observable munition and the Banderol drone-rocket, suggesting Rosoboronexport intends to sell it as the air-launch platform within a broader precision-strike package. Independent assessments of how the aircraft performs against Western-supplied UAVs or missiles are not yet publicly available, and the capability claims above rest almost entirely on Rostec and allied Russian coverage.