The Russian defence ministry has approved manufacturer United Aircraft's (OAK) decision to move Yak-130 production from NAZ Sokol to NPK Irkut's IAZ factory in Irkutsk.
NAZ Sokol will retain responsibility for production and delivery of the first production batch of 12 aircraft, which will be equipped with IAZ-produced wings, but subsequent aircraft will be built by NPK Irkut, which also owns the Yakovlev design bureau.
Yakovlev and IAZ are digitising the Yak-130's engineering drawings, making it the first Russian military aircraft to be fully digitised.
The first batch of IAZ-built Yak-130s - 16 airframes - will go to Algeria. "We are set to fly the first Algerian Yak-130 by the end of 2008 and roll out six by that time," says NPK Irkut president Oleg Demchenko.
Algeria's Yak-130As will have a similar specification to those of the Russian air force, but feature modified weapons aiming and mission management systems. Algeria also added a requirement for the Yak-130A to perform coastal patrol and over-sea missions.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
