IT’S RUSSIAN SEASON IN LANGKAWI!
Moscow sends its best aircraft and pilots to Malaysia
OVER the years, the Russian Federation’s participation in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) has turned into an eagerly-anticipated event, a heart-warming tradition.
Since its first participation in 1991, Moscow has been sending its best aircraft and the best pilots to Malaysia. And this year’s edition is no exception.
One of the most spectacular and eagerly-anticipated events during the “Russian Season” is the performance by the worldrenowned aerobatics team, the “Russian Knights”.
Lead pilot of the Russian Knights, Colonel Andrey Alekseev, said: “It is a great honour for us to represent the Russian Air Force with the best fighter in the world, the Sukhoi Su-30SM, here in Malaysia.”
This is the sixth visit of the Knights to Malaysia.
In its debut of the team’s new mount at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in 2017, the Knights presented an exhilarating and breathtaking routine of showstopping performances that showcased the new fighter’s agility, carefree handling and supermanoeuvreability.
For the first time ever, the phenomenal flight characteristics of the Su-30SM enabled the team to execute physics-defying manoeuvres like the Controlled Spin, the Tailslide, the crowd’s favourite Pugachev’s Cobra — named after famed test pilot and winner of the Order of Lenin, Viktor Pugachev — and the Post-Stall Rotation.
These manoeuvres are beyond the abilities of other jet fighters.
However, there are some exceptions. Similar capabilities are intrinsic to the Su-30 fighters operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force. This should come as no surprise as the Su-30S and Su-30 belong to the same family of combat planes manufactured by the Russian Irkut Corporation.
Knights pilots have a high appreciation of the Royal Malaysian Air Force pilots.
Alekseev said: “Malaysian pilots are professionals. They are able to perform all the basic flight and aerobatic manoeuvres, including the Tailslide, Pugachev’s Cobra and the Hook, among others.
Currently, the Su-30S is the most-produced new fighter of the Russian Federation. They are also operated by some of Russia’s closest allies — Kazakhstan, Belorussia and Armenia.
Russia is also conducting an upgrade programme for the Su30S that will ultimately augment its combat capabilities by expanding its radar target acquisition range, and the employment of new, high-precision, guided weapons against air, surface and naval targets from standoff ranges of several hundreds of kilometres.
At LIMA 2019, the Russian Federation will also present another best-selling model in the Lead-in Fighter Training (LIFT) class — the Yakovlev Yak-130. The prototype aircraft made its debut in LIMA 2005; the aircraft featured then was one of the development trials aircraft.
A lot has changed since then, and Yak-130 has emerged to be one of the most popular two-seat jet trainers of a new generation. Russia, Algeria and Belorussia, as well as three South Asian countries — Bangladesh, Myanmar and Laos — have selected the type to equip their air forces. As of today, more than 160 Yak-130s are operational worldwide.
Fitted with a modern “glass’ cockpit, a current-generation head-up display (HUD) and hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) technology, the Yak-130 presents a step in capability in terms of a training platform, making the transition to 4th+ and 5th generation fighters like the Su-30 series, seamless and a breeze.
In Russian Air Forces, the aircraft is used mostly as a Lead-In Fighter Trainer. Russia equips its Air Forces with 4th+ and 5thgeneration fighters and the Yak130 was designed from the outset to train pilots of these fighters.
Thanks to its modern cockpit layout and high-level of automation and “sensor fusion”, the Yak130 is also a capable Light Combat Aircraft. With the ability to carry a wide spectrum of loadouts for a variety of missions, including some of the more modern precision-guided munitions (PGMs), the Yak-130 offers versatility, flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
In other countries, for instance in Belorussia, Yak-130s are used as a Light Combat Aircraft. As such, it can carry a large variety of ordnance for air, ground and sea targets. Included in the Yak130’s arsenal are air-to-air missiles like the deadly Vympel R-73 “Archer” and high-precision guided bombs.
Even though Yak-130 has already gained worldwide reputation as a reliable workhorse, this aircraft remains at the beginning of its operational lifecycle.
Irkut Corporation is working to increase its combat capabilities and is testing the aircraft upgraded with a laser rangefinder. Experts believe that the new versions will enable it to capture a burgeoning fighter market.