Laos bought 10 Yak-130s

10 Yak-130 will enter the country

Russia delivered four Yak-130 combat trainers to Laos. As stated in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the equipment has already been fully paid. According to “Kommersant”, this is only the first part of a batch of ten such machines. The total cost of the procurement, as estimated by “Kommersant”, is about $ 300 million. Earlier, Laos handed over to Russia 30 fully operational T-34-85 tanks. Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Fomin declared “Kommersant” that this is a free transfer of equipment, for which Moscow is extremely grateful to Vientiane.

The fact that Laos purchased four Yak-130 combat training aircraft from Russia was reported to the Russian Ministry of Defense on Tuesday, stressing that the equipment had already been delivered. “Under the contract signed in 2017, four Yak-130 combat training aircraft were delivered to Vientiane on a commercial basis. Aircraft paid in full, "- said the military department. They also noted that armored and lightly armored vehicles, as well as other Russian-made weapons, were simultaneously delivered to Laos. The contract was signed on August 26, 2017 by the head of the Russian government, Dmitry Medvedev, and the Prime Minister of Laos, Thonglun Sisulit, in Gorki, near Moscow. On January 10, 2019, Interfax, citing a source, announced the delivery of several Yak-130 to Laos. Then the FSMTC of Russia did not comment on this information.

According to “Kommersant”, we are talking about the beginning of the implementation of a larger supply. According to the source of “Kommersant”, according to the above contract, ten such machines will be delivered to Laos. The estimated cost for all of the Yak-130 was about $ 300 million. Laos became the fifth foreign recipient of the Yak-130 aircraft produced by the Irkutsk Aviation Plant of PJSC "Irkut Corporation" after Algeria (16 units), Bangladesh (16 units), Myanmar (six units) and Belarus (eight units).

In early January 2019, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that Laos transferred 30 T-34-85 tanks to Russia in a fully operational condition. Until recently, armored vehicles were in service with the army of Laos. Agreements on the return of T-34-85 tanks to Russia were reached in January 2018 during the visit to Laos of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu. The military department stressed that this decision was made by Laos "in recognition of the many years of military and military cooperation, which in many ways contributed to the protection of sovereignty and strengthening the defense capabilities of the Lao PDR) Patriotic War. The echelon with tanks is now following Siberia (on Tuesday it was in Krasnoyarsk, and on Wednesday should arrive in Novosibirsk) and is heading for Naro-Fominsk.

January 20 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Lao People’s Army. According to the Russian defense ministry, a representative Russian military delegation will take part in the celebrations in Vientiane. The opening of the representative office of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is also timed to this date. In addition, a detachment of the International Mine Action Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is currently working in Laos.

Recall that the previous contract was signed during the HeliRussia exhibition at the end of May 2016: the holding company “Helicopters of Russia” and the Ministry of Defense of Laos agreed on the repair of military products. According to the contract, the holding’s specialists had to repair four helicopters during the year, among them two Mi-17-1Bs and two Mi-17s.