Finland looks east

Spinners · May 1, 2021

Irkut Corporation (Yakovlev) Yak-130F - 21st Fighter Squadron, Finnish Air Force, 2017

At the end of the Cold War the Finnish Air Force relaxed it's policy of alternating it's combat aircraft purchases between Soviet and Western types and replaced both the Saab Draken and the MiG-21 with American F-18C and D Hornets with the F-18C's being assembled by Valmet in Finland. Soon after Finland declared that all the provisions of the Paris Peace Treaties, including those limiting the size and scope of it's armed forces, were nullified. This closed the door on Russian exports to Finland until September 2011 when, unexpectedly, the Libyan National Transitional Council cancelled Libya's order for six Yak-130 advanced jet trainers. Almost immediately, the Russian Government instructed the Irkut Corporation to offer these aircraft to Finland at a discounted and allegedly heavily subsidised price.

The six Yak-130's were delivered to the Finnish Air Force Academy in Tikkakoski with the first aircraft arriving in November 2012. Finnish Air Force officials were so impressed with the Yak-130 that they recommended to the Finnish Ministry of Defence to make a further purchase of the Yak-130 but specifically tailored to the light attack role and with the benefit of reducing the number of aircraft required for the Hornet replacement programme (later re-named as the HX Fighter Program). With input from the Irkut Corporation and the Finnish Air Force a new export version of the Yak-130 was quickly drafted and offered to the Finnish Government as the Yak-130F (F=Finlyandiya). In March 2013 Finland ordered 14 Yak-130F's for delivery during 2015 and 2016. Entering service with the newly re-formed Fighter Squadron 21 at Pirkkala in May 2016 the aircraft operate in the light attack role with a recent upgrade allowing them to use GBU-32 and GBU-38 precision guided munitions.