The appearance of the Yak in Iran is a major development in the region as it is confirmed a perception that Iran is on the cusp of increasing its military threats and capacity.
Iranian pro-government and government media say that the country is now operating the advanced Yak-130 training aircraft from Russia. The Yak-130 is designed to prepare Iranian pilots to fly advanced aircraft, such as 4th generation fighter jets. Iran has been seeking to acquire Russian aircraft for years to bolster its air force. It is not clear yet if this new arrival will mean that the much sort-after Iran-Russia Su-35 deal will be completed.
Images of the Yak-130 were released on Tasnim media, a pro-regime outlet with close ties to the IRGC.
This is what a world looks like without a UN arms embargo on #Iran. Iranian media is reporting that it received the first batch of #Russia’s Yak-130 trainers. https://t.co/J68iNd9ceU pic.twitter.com/E76GitB7af— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) September 2, 2023
The aircraft was developed in Russia and is used as a training jet for combat aircraft.
