Will Vietnamese pilots be trained on Yak-130 and Su-27UBK?

An important issue for Vietnam is what type of supersonic trainer aircraft will fighter pilots be trained on?

Russian expert: Czech L-39 is far behind Russian Yak-130 technology

The Vietnam Air Defense - Air Force Command is facing the problem of improving the training of fighter pilots. Therefore, Vietnam has announced plans to establish a Supersonic Trainer Pilot Training Center on a supersonic trainer aircraft.

Recently, in Hanoi, a workshop on the Training Center for Supersonic Training Aircraft Pilots, located at the Air Force Officer School, was held dedicated to planning the procurement of (advanced) supersonic combat training aircraft and primary training aircraft.

For initial training, Vietnam is interested in modern subsonic training aircraft such as the Russian Yak-130 and the Czech Republic's L-39 New Generation. So, which of these two types should Vietnam choose?

In a comment for "Russian Radio Sputnik", fighter aircraft expert, Doctor of Military Sciences Makar Aksenenko said that for a while, it was the L-39 that "gave wings" to future fighter pilots of the Soviet Air Force, then the Russian Air Force, and of a number of other countries, including Vietnam.

The Czech aircraft was used not only as a training aircraft, but also as a light attack aircraft. However, as time moved forward, new aviation techniques appeared, changing fighter pilot training programs and flight tactics.

Russia's Yak-130 subsonic trainer can simulate fighter jets.

In this sense, the L-39 aircraft, even the New Generation versions, are "yesterday's" aircraft, because the basic technology developed in the early stages of the Cold War, no matter how much it is renovated or upgraded, cannot exceed the technological threshold.

This aircraft has one engine, and its avionics are not closely compatible with those of modern aircraft such as the Su-30, Su-35, and MiG-35. This does not allow the L-39 to be used as a transitional vehicle for training fighter pilots.

The Yak-130 is a better choice than the L-39.

For its part, the Russian Yak-130 aircraft was created to train cadets to master a fighter aircraft with minimal conversion. This requirement was built into the aircraft's design standards, its avionics, and its control system from the very beginning.

The most unique feature of the Yak-130 is its ability to "simulate" many different types of aircraft.

By setting the appropriate settings, during a real flight on the Yak-130 it is possible to simulate the control of other types of aircraft such as attack aircraft or fighters. This helps the pilot to easily and quickly master the fighter aircraft.

In addition, the Yak-130 can be equipped with a wide range of modern weapons. This allows the same aircraft not only to train future pilots but also to carry out combat missions. With all the above advantages, the Yak-130 can be a good choice for the Vietnamese side.

However, the proposed requirement is that Vietnam will establish a training center for supersonic pilots, operating modern versions of Su-series fighter aircraft such as the Su-30 or perhaps later the Su-35 or Su-34, which is closely related to the purchase of supersonic trainer aircraft.

Russian expert Makar Aksenenko assessed that the clear purpose of this plan is that young fighter pilots need to be trained as best as possible before being assigned to combat units so that they can immediately fully perform the assigned combat missions.

The Russian expert said he understood the interest of Vietnamese experts in training aviation personnel.

Vietnam needs a training aircraft with characteristics as similar as possible to the complex supersonic aircraft on which young pilots of the Vietnam Air Force will perform combat missions, and nothing is more suitable than Russian training aircraft.

Yak-130 reluctantly meets Vietnam's requirements

However, the difficult problem is that the Russian Yak-130 training aircraft only has subsonic speed. Regarding this issue, Mr. Aksenenko said that although it only reaches subsonic speed, the Yak-130 can simulate the characteristics and especially the control operations of a supersonic fighter aircraft.

Su-27UBK multi-role fighter, serial number 8526 of the Vietnam Air Force.

He emphasized that these are the advantages of the Russian combat training machine, which is built on the basis of modern technological elements. This gives the Yak-130 the ability to train pilots to fly at supersonic speeds, which will continue to be supplemented when pilots are trained to fly in real combat units.

Moreover, supersonic flight mode is usually used only in combat mode, only occasionally used even on modern fighter aircraft. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the economic factor, because training on Russian aircraft will reduce the cost of flight operations.

On the Russian side, the Russian Air Force is using Su-27UBK and Su-30M2 to train pilots to fly higher-end fighters, but unfortunately the production lines for these two types have closed so Vietnam cannot buy new ones, and Western aircraft are very difficult to be compatible with.

Meanwhile, if Vietnam converts the Su-27UBK or Su-30MK2 to training, it will cause a shortage of combat forces that are already not abundant. Therefore, in the initial phase, Vietnam will probably still buy subsonic Yak-130 trainer aircraft from Russia for supersonic theory training.

In fact, Vietnam currently has 3 Su-27UBKs that can be used as supersonic trainers. Therefore, in the future, after Vietnam purchases a few more batches of more modern aircraft such as the Su-30SM, can we reserve 3 Su-27UBKs for the Military Pilot Training Center, so that pilots can practice on supersonic trainers?

According to Baodatviet