IRKUTSK, July 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (part of the Yakovlev Aircraft Company within the United Aircraft Corporation) where he inspected a prototype of the upgraded Yak-130M combat trainer aircraft that had performed its debut test flight a month ago.

Test Pilot Alexander Guskov told the Russian president that the upgraded aircraft based on the Yak-130 combat trainer was outfitted with advanced onboard systems, a modern radar and a weapons suite that included air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. The upgraded combat trainer is actually a full-fledged light fighter aircraft that considerably outperforms its predecessor, he said.

"The Yak-130M’s combat objectives include destroying ground and aerial targets, specifically, heavy-class unmanned aerial vehicles," the test pilot stressed.

The new Yak-130M combat trainer can accelerate to 960 km/h and has an operational range of 1,610 km.

As reported earlier, the upgraded Yak-130M performed its debut test flight at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant on June 25, 2026. The flight was successful, lasted about 50 minutes, proceeded at altitudes of up to 2,000 meters and at speeds of up to 600 km/h.