Significant issues with Russian Yak-130 aircraft exist in Bangladesh. The nation has lost 25% of its total fleet of these aircraft in less than ten years of operation. We describe this design and the potential issues that the Bangladesh Air Force may face. 

A Russian jet trainer aircraft is called the Yak-130. It is made at the Falcon Aircraft Plant of Irkut Corporation. Although it was not made public until 2005, it was first flown in 1996, hence it cannot be regarded as an antiquated unit. 

The length of the Yak-130 is just less than 12 meters, and its wingspan is roughly 9.7 meters. With a takeoff weight of about 7 tonnes, the pilot can achieve a maximum speed of 13,000 meters and a little over 1,000 kilometers per hour thanks to its two AI-222-25 turbojet engines. 

A Bangladeshi Yak-130 crashed on May 8, 2024, at around GMT, and the video became viral on social media.The tragedy was attributed to a fire on board, but exact conclusions won't be known until the debris is examined. 

On the other hand, the military-focused Ukrainian website Defence Express notes that this is not the aircraft's first mishap. Numerous incidents have occurred in Russia and once in Belarus (in 2021), but this unit's fate in Bangladesh appears to be extremely unfortunate. 

A contract involving 16 Yak-130 aircraft and valued at around 800 million dollars was revealed in 2014. It included the option to increase the purchase by an additional ten units, however this option was ultimately abandoned due in part to the base pool's delayed delivery. 

On May 8, 2024, the Yak-130 crashed, the third such event to occur in Bangladesh. When all of the losses are added up, the local air force has already lost four of these aircraft (up to two were destroyed in one incident in 2017). That is 25% of all the aircraft that Bangladesh has been given. 

According to Defence Express, these Russian aircraft are obviously of poor quality even at first glance. Therefore, it is not sufficient to blame chance events or inadequate piloting skills for many incidents. Bangladesh now needs to think about making additional purchases to make up for the lost revenue in addition to having to patiently wait for the delayed supplies. It is unlikely that they will go to Russia, as ties there are deteriorating. This led to the cancellation of talks to purchase Mi-28NE helicopters, among other things.