April 9, 2026:
During the March war against Iran, an Israeli American F-35 aircraft shot down a Russian-built Yak-130 Iranian trainer aircraft. This was the first time an F-35 downed an enemy aircraft. The F-35 is a fifth-generation multi-role fighter developed by the American company Lockheed Martin.
The F-35 carries numerous weapons, including AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM, and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, as well as Storm Shadow and AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles. It can also deploy JDAM precision-guided bombs weighing up to 910 kg, WCMD cluster munitions, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapons, and Brimstone anti-tank missiles. Earlier, a Kuwaiti fighter accidentally shot down three US F-15 aircraft during military operations. All three American jets crashed, but their pilots ejected safely.
The Yak-130 had an interesting history. Twenty years ago, Russia decided to standardize on the Yak-130 jet trainer and bought over 200 of them. This aircraft first flew ten years ago, but the Russian air force could not afford to buy it back then. When money became available in the last few years, a further complication arose. Another Russian manufacturer had a trainer, the MiG-AT. Political influence was deployed, and it wasn't until this year that the air force generals were able to obtain permission to proceed with the Yak-130 purchase.
This aircraft is capable of performing many of the tricky maneuvers of Russia’s top fighters like the Su-27, MiG-29 and many modern Western fighters. The Yak-130 can also perform as a light bomber. The nine-ton aircraft has a maximum speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour and a flight life of 10,000 hours. The two pilots sit one behind the other, and two engines make it a safer aircraft to fly. The Yak-130 can carry an external load of three tons of bombs, missiles or fuel tanks. Max range, on internal fuel, is 2,200 kilometers. Russia is selling the aircraft to foreign customers for about $15 million. The Yak-130 replaces the 1960s-era L-29 and the 1970s upgrade, the L-39. The Russian air force received its first Yak-130s this year.
The Yak-130 is the most capable combat trainer in service, and its ability to operate as a light attack jet is a major bonus for many potential buyers. Irkut, the Russian manufacturer, is also pushing plans to use the Yak-130 as the basis for a combat drone. The Yak-130 already has some variants in development. There is the single-seat fighter version, Yak-131, plus a reconnaissance variant and even a four-seat VIP transport.
Russia is making a major sales push for the Yak-130. Sixteen were sold to Algeria earlier, and Indonesia has shown interest. For countries like Algeria and Indonesia, the ability to use the Yak-130 for combat missions and lower operating costs than regular combat aircraft is a major draw.
The Yak-130 was developed in cooperation with Italian firm Aermacchi, which went on to develop its own version and sell it as the M-346. But the Italian version was more expensive due to higher production costs.