Russia’s upgraded Yak-130M combat training aircraft will be showcased abroad for the first time at the Dubai Airshow 2025, taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 17 to 21, 2025. The announcement was made by state corporation Rostec, which oversees the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and other major Russian aerospace manufacturers.
Rostec targets Middle Eastern market
According to Rostec, the Yak-130M features an updated avionics suite and new airborne weapons, enhancing its role as both an advanced jet trainer and a light combat aircraft. The modernization is intended to enable round-the-clock operations in a wider range of weather and operational conditions while broadening the aircraft’s potential combat employment.
“The upgraded aircraft is designed for the training of pilots of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, as well as for strike and fighter missions as a light combat aircraft,” Rostec stated.
Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov described the Dubai Airshow as one of the key international platforms for the aerospace industry and said the corporation plans to present several new products tailored to prospective customers in the Middle East.
Russia’s renewed push to promote its defense products abroad comes at a time when Western sanctions have restricted access to key avionics, sensors, and composite materials, forcing manufacturers to rely more heavily on domestic substitutes.
Shared origins with Italy’s M-346
Initially developed by Yakovlev and UAC, the Yak-130 shares its origins with the Italian Aermacchi M-346: the two aircraft were derived from a joint Yak/AEM-130 program launched in the 1990s, before the partners pursued separate designs in the early 2000s.
Despite repeated efforts to market the Yak-130 internationally, confirmed export orders have remained limited in recent years, with only a handful of countries, such as Belarus, Iran, and Algeria, currently operating the type.
The M-346 family has recently gained renewed attention, with Textron Aviation Defense launching a US tour of the Beechcraft M-346N earlier in 2025 to promote it for the US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System program.
In addition to the Yak-130M, Rostec has confirmed that the Ansat-M light helicopter and the Su-57E fifth-generation fighter will also be exhibited at the Dubai Airshow. The Ansat-M, produced by Russian Helicopters, incorporates domestically developed VK-650V engines and a redesigned airframe developed under Russia’s so-called “import-substitution” program.
