Yak-130 combat training aircraft produced by Irkut Corporation of Russia, are being ordered in large numbers by operators in South East Asia, the latest deliveries being made in January 2019 to the Laotian Air Force. The Yak-130s will substantially add to the strength of this air arm, and prepare pilots to fly further advanced aircraft in the future, the Yak-130s themselves very potent to perform a wide range of combat mission.

Laos has became the third country in Southeast Asia to procure Yak-130s, following the Air Forces of Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is understood that Myanmar has in 2016 received another batch of six Yak-130 aircraft from Russia, taking their number to 12 units.

The Russian Aerospace Force presently maintain the largest inventory of Yak-130s, some 110  numbers. As Colonel Sergei Evdokimov,  Chief of Staff of the Krasnodar Military Pilot School, puts it : "The Yak-130 is a versatile aircraft for training of pilots, starting from basic and continuing for combat training as also for honing flying skills of instructors." The Yak-130 is equipped with advanced simulation systems, enabling it to be employed for realistic air combat and ground attack training without using actual ammunition. In addition to Russia, the Yak-130 has been chosen by Algeria and Belarus as their aircraft for combat air training.

However, unlike Russia, which uses the Yak-130 for advanced training aircraft, Belarus is employing this for combat duties. At the recent Aviadarts-2018 international air exercise, the Belarusian Yak-130s were placed as second in the category of  ‘attack aircraft’, actually well-ahead of  specialised attack aircraft types. The Yak-130 has a warload of  upto 3,000 kg, including both guided and free fall munitions for air-to-ground and air-to-air combat missions. The Belarusian Air Force presently has  eight Yak-130s, with four more on order. Interestingly,  Belarus not only orders aircrafts, but also participates in programmes to  enhance combat capabilities, including the installation of an ESC Talisman-NT system on the Yak-130.

As for numbers of aircraft delivered to operators, with some 170 so far, the Yak-130 is ahead of other new-generation subsonic jet training aircraft, including the Italian M-346. One of the reasons for this is that the Yak-130 offered an integrated system of training including free flight ground training with specialised simulators. Also part of the training package is the Yak-152, a piston engine aircraft for primary training which is more than just a trainer for civilian flying training or for sports.