Four Yakovlev Yak-130 combat trainers supplied to Laos - Russian Defense Ministry
MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax-AVN) - Laos has purchased four Yakovlev Yak-130 combat trainers from Russia; the planes have been supplied and fully paid for, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
"Consistent with the contract signed in 2017, Vientiane has been supplied with four Yakovlev Yak-130 combat trainers on a commercial basis. The planes have been fully paid for," the ministry said.
In addition, Laos is being supplied with tanks and lightly armored vehicles and other types of weapons, the ministry said.
An informed Russian source told Interfax on January 10 that Laos had received a number of Yak-130 planes. The Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) did not comment on the information.
Yak-130 is meant to train pilots and to strike on airborne and ground targets. It can be used for training pilots of warplanes, which belong to generations 4+ and 5. Yak-130 performed its maiden flight in 1996. It was designated as the main combat trainer of the Russian Air Force in 2002.
Russia has earlier sold Yak-130 planes to Bangladesh, Belarus, and Myanmar. The interest of Uzbekistan in buying Yak-130 planes has also been reported.