New Russian Yak-130 aerobatic team

[f4phantom]

http://www.ruaviation.com/news/2013/2/8/1510/

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) decided to form a Yak-130 aerobatic team, which will perform demonstration flights at MAKS-2013, Izvestiya reports.

According to the Supreme Command of the air forces, the new aerobatic team may be formed on the basis of one of the existing teams, for example, Strizhi.

According to a source, two members of Strizhi aerobatic team should have arrived at Borisoglebsk (Voronezh Region) in November-December 2012 to the air base of Russian Air Force Military Educational and Scientific Center “Air Force Academy”. The purpose of their temporary duty is training of the pilot-instructors aimed at learning the basics of group and solo aerial aerobatics performed on Yak-130 aircraft; however, the training program has come to a standstill.

The staff and command status of the team have not been defined yet as well as the team’s name. Possibly it will form part of the team of Center for display of aviation equipment of the 4th State Aircraft Staff Training Center. The Center for display of aviation equipment is located in Kubinka (Moscow Region), while the Aircraft Staff Training Center – in Lipetsk.

Yak-130 has a good export potential, because the demand for operational trainers is increasing year by year. A source close to the military-industrial sector said that Irkut Corporation is developing a vehicle intended for aerial aerobatics although the MoD has not prepared an official specification yet.

The pilots say that members of aerobatic teams are able to assimilate a new aircraft in a month and then they may start performing aerobatic exercises. So the pilots believe that the plans of the MoD may be fulfilled and the Yak-130 aerobatic team may perform demonstration flights at MAKS-2013.

MAKS-2013 airshow will be taking place in Zhukovsky at the airfield of Gromov Flight Research Institute during a period from August 27th to September 1st 2013.