Irkut's YAK-130 trainer in Dubai 2005 spotlight

Other mock-ups in Irkut's Dubai 2005 fleet include the Su-30 MKI multifunctional combat aircraft, Be-200 amphibian and a family of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

"The Yak-130 holds much promise in export sales and commands the attention of numerous countries, pri-marily those with Su-27/30 and MiG-29 aircraft in their air forces,"

said Vladimir Sautov, Irkut's Vice-President, Marketing and Foreign Relations.

The Yak-130 two seater aircraft has been developed by Irkut subsidiary, the Yakovlev Design Bureau. It has been designed for basic and advanced training and can be used for drilling up to 80% of the skills needed by military pilot training programmes.

"The Yak-130 reduces the number of trainer types required and the time pilots need to learn to fly another trainer," said Sautov. "This also considerably simplifies pilot certification in combat aircraft control. Thus, top class pilots get training at a minimal cost."

The Yak-130 is a key component of the training aids suite which includes an integrated independent moni-toring system, computer-furnished class rooms, and full task simulators.

"The Yak-130 is fitted with a digital remote control system with four-fold redundancy, which simulates con-trol work in all modern fighters such as F-15, F-16, Eurofighter and Gripen," explained Sautov. "This, along with the aircraft's aerodynamic scheme and power plant performance, enables pilots to quickly learn how to control all types of modern combat aircraft, such as the Su-30 and MiG-29 as well as their foreign counter-parts and future types."

The Yak-130's cockpit instrumentation for each crew member includes three multi-function, full-colour liq-uid crystal displays, measuring 6 x 8 inches. The indication is on the windshield of the cockpit. Also, a hel-met-mounted target designation system can be installed. An open type avionics allows integration of new equipment. Nine suspension points enable it to carry up to three tonnes of ordnance.

The Yak-130 has been chosen as the main aircraft type for basis and advanced training of Russian Air Force pilots with the first batch of 12 aircraft now under production.

Irkut's flagship Su-30 MKI, which is already in service with the Indian Air Force and will be delivered to the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 2007, will also be promoted at Dubai 2005. The fighter boasts a host of new advancements, such as AL-31FP thrust vector control engine, phased array BARS-radar and an internationally compatible avionics suite, which provides for an integration of additional equipment and weapons to ensure sound upgrade potential.

"The Su-30 MKI is the first production aircraft powered by thrust vector control engine that ensures unsurpassed fighter super-maneuverability to achieve critical advantages in close air-to-air combat whilst providing additional flight safety," said Sautov.

"We have had successes with the product in a number of Asian countries and we are expecting to capitalise on these at this year's show. We are introducing these latest products to the Arab world in a bid to establish good contacts with military authorities, air force chiefs and those in charge of emergency control situations."

UAV development, widely regarded as one of the most dynamic fields in aeronautics, is also at the forefront of the Russian aerospace leader's development programme with the company showcasing its new product line up.

The Irkut Corporation has developed a family of airborne systems for remote sensing of the Earth's surface. These are based on unmanned and optionally piloted aerial vehicles, including Irkut-2F/T, Irkut-20, Irkut-60, Irkut-200 and Irkut-850.

"UAV's are at the cutting edge of aerospace industry development and have extremely practical applications in the civilian sector," said Sautov. "The systems' merit is the possibility of using various payloads depending on the mission to be performed as well as their low operating and maintenance cost.

"We have been developing and testing different applications for UAVs and have achieved highly promising results."

Designed for firefighting, search and rescue operations, patrolling of sea areas, ecologic monitoring and freight and passenger transportation, the Be-200 amphibious plane, which is on show at Dubai 2005, is today the main civil aviation business of the Irkut Corporation.

"Thanks to an excellent aero and hydrodynamic scheme, the Be-200 is practically comparable to the conventional aircraft in flight performance, simultaneously offering a unique capability of landing both on the ground and water," said Sautov.

Another special feature of the Be-200 is its unique ability to repeatedly take in, during one flight, up to 12 tons of water in a skimming mode and to deliver it to the fire site, using high-precision systems of navigation and flight control. Due to the sealed fuselage, the Be-200 aircraft can be easily converted to passenger and freight transportation versions.

The advancement of new technologies and products supports the company's vision of developing new businesses and integrating into the world's aircraft manufacturing community.

A number of new corporate programmes on development and manufacturing of civilian products are underway, such as the USD$200 million, 10 year contract from Airbus for Irkut to supply it with aircraft parts for its A320 plane.

In addition, a recent Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus was signed for possible work on the A350 airliner programme.