LANGKAWI, Malaysia. (RIA Novosti's Mikhail Tsyganov.) The Yak-130 (Mitten) combat trainer has become one of the hits of the Russian exposition at the regional LIMA-2005 International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, held on Langkawi Island, Kedah, Malaysia.
It can be used to train pilots as well as carry out combat tasks in conflicts of limited intensity. Its great flight characteristics have been shown off during flight demonstrations.
"We saw that the airplane had generated a serious interest not only from Malaysians, but also from other countries of the region, including Indonesia," Nikolai Dimidyuk, director-at-large for Rosoboronexport, told RIA Novosti.
"Remarkably, after military commanders had seen Yak-130, it became very popular among technical specialists," he added.
"At present, the fleets of advanced pilot trainers are rapidly becoming outdated both in Russia and worldwide," the airplane's chief designer Konstantin Popovich said.
He believes that his creation won the tender announced by the Russian Armed Forces, firstly, because it can make all the maneuvers of existing fighter jets in the transonic regime, thus training pilots for fourth and fifth generation jets.
"It is very important that the plane's totally digital flight control system can be reprogrammed, which makes it easier to retrain a pilot to fly another type of jet," he added.
Other innovations of the Yak-130 include: adjustments for autonomous use at remote airfields, an onboard oxygen generator and a fast-action pneumatic system, Popovich said.
"It is one of the few, if not the only, airplanes that is 100% Russian, which means that it was created in the post-Soviet period, without using any old Soviet developments," he pointed out.
Having examined the plane, Commander-in-Chief of the Malaysian Royal Air Force General Nik Ismail Nik Mohamed said, "Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to fly it, but the specifications I have read are excellent."
"A great machine!" exclaimed Nasaruddin Albaiti from the Malaysian Defense Ministry, when leaving the aircraft. He immediately got practical, "How much?"
