FARNBOROUGH, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Irkut corporation, the manufacturer of the famed Sukhoi fighters, has 80 solid orders for Yak-130 combat trainers, the company director said on Monday during the Farnborough air show currently being held near London.
The Irkut Corporation, part of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, created in 2006, manufactures variants of the Su-30MK for India, Algeria, and Malaysia. Production of the Yak-130 aircraft was launched last year - the plane was designed for training pilots flying the Su-30 Flanker, MiG-29 Fulcrum, and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters.
"The Russian and Algerian defense ministries have ordered about 80 [Yak-130] trainers," Oleg Demchenko said. "A total of 24 aircraft of this type will be delivered to Algeria in 2009."
"We are now holding talks on contracts with Greece, Malaysia, and other countries," he added.
The Yak-130 single-seat aircraft is a trainer for fourth and fifth generation fighters that can be also used as a light strike aircraft.
It is a highly maneuverable plane, with an extended range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and a maximum speed of 1,060 km/h (600 m/h) in level flight. It can carry a payload of up to 3,000 kg (6,600 pounds), consisting of a variety of Russian and Western developed weapons.
Russia's Air Force is planning to commission about 200 Yak-130s to equip four air regiments in the future.
