Belarus will acquire Russian Yak-130 trainers, Ezhednevnik reports. The parties are currently negotiating on deliveries of these jets. It has been declared by Deputy Minister of Defense – Chief of Armament of Belorussian armed forces, Major General Ivan Dyrman, on the New Year’s Eve.

The acquisition of these vehicles has been discussed for the first time seven years ago, when the preparation for organization of training squadron, forming part of 206th assault air base in Lida, has been started. The squadron was intended for training of students of aviation faculty of Belorussian Military Academy and improvement of skills of pilots from combat units.

Only the initial stage of pilots and maintenance personnel training on behalf of air forces and air defense has been carried out in Belarus those days. Mi-2 helicopters and Yak-52 aircraft owned by aeroclubs of Voluntary Association for Assistance to Army, Air Force and Navy have been used for these purposes.
And then the students have been sent to Russian Vyazma aeroclub for mastering the L-39 jet trainer. This situation did not satisfy the government and authorities of Belarus.

Yak-130 was among the possible variants of operational trainers intended for equipping the squadron in Lida. However, the then existing Commander in Chief of the Air Forces and Air Defense, Oleg Paferov, said in 2005 that several years will pass before Yak-130’s testing will be completed and it will be put into service by Russian air forces. But the training of pilots for Belorussia air forces should have been started immediately. In addition, the price of Yak-130 would have likely exceeded the claimed $10 million.

That is why they fixed upon used (and thus cheap) L-39s, which were very popular in all ex-Soviet republics. The first two out of 10 L-39s acquired from Ukraine in accordance with the contract have arrived in Lida on December 21st 2005. The training of pilots have been started to the full extent at 206th assault air base in spring 2006 when all the 10 purchased L-39s have been delivered.