A successful first flight, coupled with government funding commitments, has given the AEM/Yak-130 advanced trainer a welcome boost in the race against its rival, the Franco-Russian MiG-AT.
After months of uncertainty stemming primarily from the financial woes of Russian developer Yakovlev, the AEM/YAK-130 advanced trainer programme appears to be back on track. The demonstration aircraft finally made its first flight, on April 25, and was presented in public for the first time at the Jukovski flight test centre near Moscow on May 28, allowing it to stay within earshot of the rival Franco-Russian MiG-AT (Interavia 5/96, p. 44).
According to Paolo Mezzanotte, new projects manager for Italian partner Aermacchi, it is planned to show off the aircraft at Farnborough in September, the flight test programme permitting. …
Interavia Business & Technology; July 1, 1995
Browse back issues from our extensive library of more than 6,500 trusted publications.
