Rosoboronexport (part of the Rostec State Corporation) is organizing a unified Russian exhibit at the Dubai Airshow 2025.
Right on the eve of event the company celebrated its silver anniversary. Over the past 25 years, Rosoboronexport has concluded over 30,000 contracts with partners, and exported products worth more than $230 billion. The company has delivered 900 aircraft, 1,300 helicopters, 1,400 air defense systems, 1.7 million small arms, over 4,300 combat armored vehicles, over 9,500 automotive vehicles, more than 40 submarines and ships, and other equipment," the organization reported.
Rosoboronexport has seen its next jubilee coming with the portfolio of orders to the amount over $60 billion, the record high one throughout the history of the company," the arms exporter said.
The Russian pavilion at Dubai Airshow 2025, covering a total area of 1,000 sq. m., will feature the country's largest defense holding companies, including United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
The UAC, in particular, will showcase, for the first time outside Russia, the Yak-130M combat training aircraft. The Yak-130M is the radical modernization of the Yak-130 combat training aircraft. The main goal of the modernization is to expand the combat capabilities of the aircraft, which is in high demand on the global market. Designer called the Yak-130M ‘a response to the requests of our operators, primarily foreign ones.’ According to Rosoboronexport JSC, the current export potential of the Yak-130M in the Asian and African markets is about 40 aircraft, and the market capacity for the modernization of previously delivered Yak-130s is approximately 60 aircraft.
The UAC notes that the Yak-130M's flight characteristics have been improved in terms of optimizing take-off, landing characteristics and maneuverability compared to the Yak-130.
The main focus of the modernization is on new aircraft systems and weapons. To destroy air targets, the Yak-130 can use R-73E missiles (up to four per sortie) and a suspended container SNPU-130 with a GSH-23L gun. The aiming is provided by a display system on the windscreen. Target designation for the R-73E missile homing head can be issued by a helmet mounted system. This allows the Yak-130 to effectively combat helicopters, light attack and transport aircraft, as well as heavy UAVs.
The Yak-130 can engage ground targets with a wide range of aerial bombs ranging from 50 to 500 kg in caliber, as well as with unguided S-13 and S-8 missiles, and the GSH-23L gun. To destroy small-sized protected targets, the KAB-500Kr TV-guided bomb is used.
Thanks to its modernization, the Yak-130M has become a multi-purpose light combat aircraft capable of performing complex tasks in local conflicts.
New systems and aircraft weapons significantly expand the range of training tasks. In particular, the Yak-130 can be used to train the use of various types of high-precision weapons, saving the resources of combat aircraft.
Finally, the modernization lays the groundwork for further development of the aircraft and equipping it with new types of aircraft weapons.
The Yak-130M program is currently at the design and development stage. As part of this program, the design documentation has been completed and the assembly of three prototype aircraft has begun at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. (Laguk-Media; Photo © UAC)
