Vietnam to purchase 18 Yak-130M light attack aircraft from Russia as revealed by Irkutsk CEO.

On July 24, 2026, Vietnam was revealed as the launch export customer for the Russian Yak-130M light attack aircraft after the disclosure by Irkutsk Aviation Plant CEO Andrei Soynov of a contract for 18 units during a presidential visit to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. The procurement expands Vietnam's operational Yak-130 fleet to 28 aircraft and provides dedicated air-defense and counter-unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities. This early acquisition allows the Irkutsk Aviation Plant to secure a defined export production batch ahead of the completion of state flight trials scheduled through December 2028.

The 18-aircraft purchase increases total Vietnamese procurement of the Yakovlev platform to 30 units, offsetting previous training losses and establishing a full-regiment footprint. Upgraded with the BRLS-130R active electronically scanned array radar and R-77-1 missile capability, the sub-mach Yak-130M offers a 2,500-kilogram payload capacity to execute light strike and air policing roles at lower operating costs than frontline fighters.

Related topic: Yakovlev presents new Yak-130M light combat aircraft at Army-2024 exhibition

The Yak-130M replaces more than 50% of the Yak-130's onboard equipment, adding the BRLS-130R AESA radar, SOLT-130K electro-optical targeting system, President-S130 self-protection suite, KSS-130 communications system, as well as R-77-1 and R-74M missiles. (Picture source: UAC)

On July 24, 2026, Vietnam was revealed as the first identified export customer for the Yak-130M light attack aircraft after Irkutsk Aviation Plant CEO Andrei Soynov disclosed during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the Irkutsk plant that a contract was being signed for 18 aircraft. The announcement came 29 days after the first Yak-130M flight on June 25, 2026, when test pilots Alexander Guskov and Andrey Voropayev flew the first prototype for 50 minutes, reached 2,000 m and accelerated to 600 km/h. By July 24, the aircraft had completed nine sorties, meaning Vietnam committed to the new variant during the opening phase of flight testing rather than after state trials and weapons qualification.

Vietnam had already ordered 12 Yak-130 aircraft in 2019, but two were lost in training accidents, one on November 6, 2024, and one on January 28, 2026, leaving 10 in service. The 18-aircraft follow-on purchase would therefore raise total Vietnamese procurement of the Yak-130 to 30 aircraft and, if no further losses occur, increase the operational fleet to 28 after delivery. The contract timing creates both industrial advantages and program risk. Three Yak-130M prototypes have been assembled, while the full test cycle is scheduled to continue through December 2028 and first production deliveries are planned for late 2028. Vietnam is therefore buying the Yak-130M before completion of its trials.

The first nine flights confirm that the basic aircraft can fly with the new equipment, but they do not establish the combat performance of the BRLS-130R radar, the President-S130 defensive aids suite or the R-77-1 missile. The contract gives the Irkutsk Aviation Plant a defined export batch before series production starts and reduces the risk of a production gap after the prototype phase. It also places Vietnam in the position of accepting the first export production standard, which may require software updates, retrofit work or staged weapons clearance after delivery. The final military value of the purchase will depend on which sensors, weapons and software functions are included in the first aircraft and which are deferred to later increments. 

The Yak-130M keeps the Yak-130 airframe but replaces more than 50% of its onboard equipment. The principal change is the BRLS-130R AESA radar, which gives the training aircraft an organic search-and-track capability that the earlier Yak-130 does not possess. Without this radar, the original aircraft depended on ground control, visual acquisition, or external targeting support for many air combat tasks. The BRLS-130R allows the Yak-130M to detect, track and support engagements against airborne and surface targets, including large UAVs and maritime contacts. The SOLT-130K electro-optical system adds television, infrared and laser channels for passive detection, target identification, ranging and designation of laser-guided weapons.

The President-S130 suite provides missile warning, countermeasure management and protection against radar-guided and infrared-guided threats, while the KSS-130 communications system allows tactical data exchange with other aircraft and ground stations. This combination gives the two-person crew four distinct combat functions that were absent or limited on the original Yak-130: independent radar search, passive electro-optical targeting, onboard threat warning and networked target reception. The Yak-130M’s real effectiveness, however, will still depend on undisclosed parameters, including radar detection range, track capacity, jamming resistance, missile support modes and the reaction time of the defensive suite.

The weapons upgrade expands the Yak-130M’s role beyond visual-range training and unguided attack. The planned air-to-air inventory includes the R-74M infrared-guided short-range missile and the R-77-1 active radar-guided beyond-visual-range missile. The R-74M is intended for close-range engagements after visual, infrared, or radar identification, while the R-77-1 allows engagement before visual contact when the radar or an external sensor provides a valid track. This gives the Yak-130M two engagement zones instead of relying mainly on short-range infrared missiles. The air-to-surface inventory includes satellite-guided and laser-guided weapons, conventional bombs weighing from 50 to 500 kg, unguided rocket pods, gun pods, electronic-countermeasure pods and external fuel tanks.

The aircraft retains nine external stations and carries 2,500 kg of combat payload in the Yak-130M configuration, compared with the 3,000 kg maximum commonly associated with the earlier Yak-130. That difference matters because the new aircraft may need to carry a radar-related mission fit, targeting equipment, defensive pods and fuel tanks in addition to weapons. A typical counter-UAV patrol carrying two air-to-air missiles, external tanks and self-protection equipment would use only part of the 2,500 kg limit, while a strike sortie carrying guided bombs would have less room for additional fuel and defensive stores. Up to four gun pods have also been considered for drone interception, but this option would require close-range engagement and would be practical only against slow, lightly defended targets. 

Drone interception is one of the new principal missions assigned to the Yak-130M. Large drones are more suitable targets than small quadcopters because they have larger radar cross-sections, stronger infrared signatures, higher operating altitudes and longer flight paths. A likely engagement sequence would begin with detection by a ground-based surveillance radar, followed by vectoring of the Yak-130M toward the target, transfer of track data through the KSS-130 system, radar acquisition by the BRLS-130R and final identification through the SOLT-130K or visual contact. The aircraft could then use an R-77-1 for a beyond-visual-range shot, an R-74M at shorter range or a gun pod if the target is slow and the tactical situation permits a close approach.

The two-seat cockpit allows the front-seat pilot to manage flight path and positioning while the second crewmember handles radar, electro-optical sensors, communications and weapons. The Yak-130M is also intended to attack unmanned surface vessels (USVs), using its electro-optical system to detect and identify small boats and guided air-to-surface weapons to engage them. Additional tasks include air policing, localized air defense, close air support, battlefield strike, convoy escort, reconnaissance, weapons training and advanced pilot instruction. These missions are most realistic in permissive or partially contested airspace because the Yak-130M lacks the supersonic speed, low observability, heavy armor and sensor range of a frontline fighter.

The Yak-130M’s flight performance remains close to that of the original Yak-130 because the airframe and engines are unchanged. The Yak-130M is 11.49 m long, has a wingspan of 9.84 m, a height of 4.64 m and a wing area of 23.52 m². Empty weight is 4,600 kg, normal take-off weight is 7,250 kg and maximum take-off weight is 10,290 kg. Maximum speed is 950 to 960 km/h, equal to Mach 0.9, while service ceiling is 12,500 m. Standard range is 1,610 km and ferry range reaches 2,265 km with external tanks, but combat radius will be lower once fuel reserve, weapons load, altitude profile, and time on station are included. Two AI-222-25 turbofans provide 2,500 kgf or 24.5 kN of thrust each, giving combined thrust of 49 kN.

At normal take-off weight, the thrust-to-weight ratio is close to 0.70, sufficient for advanced fighter training and interception of slow targets but below the level required for rapid supersonic interception or sustained high-energy air combat. The baseline aircraft has a stall speed near 165 km/h and load limits from -3 g to +8 g, which supports low-speed handling and maneuver training. A proposed SM-100 engine would increase thrust by 20% and double service life without changing engine weight or dimensions, but the Yak-130M prototypes currently continue to rely on the AI-222-25. Vietnam’s existing Yak-130 fleet reduces the cost and time required to introduce the M variant, but commonality is not complete. The airframe, flight control system, engines, cockpit layout and many maintenance procedures remain familiar to Vietnamese pilots and ground crews.

Existing hangars, ground support equipment, simulators and training syllabi can support part of the new fleet, reducing the need to create an entirely separate infrastructure. However, the BRLS-130R radar requires radar test equipment, calibration procedures, spare modules and personnel trained in AESA maintenance. The President-S130 requires electronic warfare support, threat library management and countermeasure programming, while the R-77-1 requires missile storage, handling, testing and mission-planning procedures not needed for a trainer carrying only short-range weapons. The KSS-130 also raises the question of compatibility with Vietnamese ground-control networks and with Russian-origin Su-27 and Su-30 fighters.

A fleet of 18 Yak-130Ms could support one regiment or several squadrons, but actual availability would depend on the number assigned to training, maintenance and reserve. Vietnam could retain the surviving Yak-130s for advanced instruction while allocating the Yak-130Ms to weapons conversion, counter-UAV patrols, air policing and limited strike missions. The Yak-130M does not replace Vietnam’s Su-30 fighters and should not be assessed as a lower-cost equivalent. Its 950 to 960 km/h maximum speed is less than half the maximum speed of a Su-30 fighter, its 2,500 kg combat payload is several tonnes lower, and its ferry range of 2,265 km is insufficient for the same long-range interception and maritime strike missions.

Its value lies in removing routine missions from the heavier fleet, preserving Su-30 flight hours for long-range air defense, anti-ship strike and combat against higher-performance aircraft. It can also increase the number of Vietnamese aircraft able to employ guided weapons, conduct radar-equipped patrols and intercept UAVs without requiring a full multirole fighter sortie. The purchase therefore increases fleet depth rather than top-end combat power. The decisive program questions are whether the BRLS-130R can generate reliable tracks against low-signature targets, whether the R-77-1 can be integrated without restrictive launch conditions, whether the President-S130 provides useful protection against current missile threats, and whether Russia can deliver 18 Yak-130Ms, engines, weapons and spares to Vietnam after testing ends in December 2028.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.

Explore More Defense News

• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News