The Vietnamese Air Force received the first batch of six Yak-130 advanced training aircraft from Russia at Phu Cat airport on November 13, the state-controlled media quoted information from Russia’s Sputnik newspaper as saying on November 17
According to news, Vietnam has ordered 12 Yak-130s (corresponding to a squadron) for about $350 million in 2019, the price includes weapons, training, and after-sales support. The head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation at the time said that the delivery of the aircraft would be completed in 2021.
With this contract, Vietnam is Russia’s sixth customer country for the Yak-130 aircraft, after Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Myanmar, and neighboring Laos.
The Yak-130 aircraft will be used to replace the Aero L-39 aircraft previously produced in Czechoslovakia and will operate as part of the 940th Training Air Regiment of the Vietnam Air Force. This type of aircraft is designed to flexibly take off from field airports, which is said to be very beneficial to Vietnam’s terrain.
At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the afternoon of July 22, 2021, in an online form, a Sputnik reporter asked whether Vietnam would buy the Su-75 Checkmate light supersonic aircraft, which is mainly produced targeting Vietnam, India, Africa, or not?
Spokesperson of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said: “We do not have information on this yet. But it can also be added that Vietnam persists in its policy of peaceful defense and self-defense. Therefore, the Vietnamese purchase of defense equipment is in line with the policy of peaceful defense and self-defense, and is a normal thing to do to strengthen defense capacity and serve the army’s training.”
Thoibao.de (Translated)
