Since the withdrawal of its Mig 21s from service in 2015, the Vietnamese People's Army has been looking for a new aircraft to modernize its air forces. In addition to the Mig 21, the new aircraft will also replace the thirty Su-22 fighter bombers still in service. Hanoi seems to be interested in several aircraft, including the American F16, the Typhoon European, the Swedish Gripen E and the Rafale French. But it seems that Russia has taken a certain lead in this competition with the new order placed by the Vietnamese authorities to the Russian defense industry, relating to 12 Yak-130 advanced training aircraft.
Designed to replace the L-39 training aircraft, the Yak-130 entered service in 2010, and has already been exported to Belarus, Algeria and Myanmar, as well as 3 other air forces. It is the result of an initial joint development with Italy, which will develop the M-346 for its part, while Russia will continue with the Yak-130, this explaining the many similarities between the two aircraft. Capable of exceeding 1000 km / h, carrying up to 2,5 tonnes of weaponry, and having a modern cockpit comparable to those used on Su-30SM, Su-34 and Su-35s, the aircraft Its function is to train young fighter pilots in an environment as close as possible to that of weapon planes, but at much lower costs, a Yak-130 costing only $ 14 million to purchase.
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