00:47France: Yak-130s, the Russian jets Syria signed for in 2011
France: Yak-130s, the Russian jets Syria signed for in 2011
Three Russian Yak-130s performed complex aerial manouvres at the Paris Air Show on Thursday.
In a signed 2011 jet fighter contract made with the Syrian government, Russia agreed to deliver 36 of these advanced aircrafts to Syria. The Yak-130 fighter jets have been manufactured but Russia has declined to transport them from the Irkut factory in Russia's Far East to Syrian government airfields.
Although the Yak-130 is a combat training jet, the Yakovlev design bureau confirms that it can be equipped with air to surface weapons, such as guided missiles and bombs. Russia penned the $550 million (€416.9 million) deal for the subsonic two-seat light attack aircraft with Syria but has so far held back on delivery. Russian officials declared that Russia will only provide the Syrian government with 'defensive weapons' to maintain 'balance' in the conflict.
On June 13, US President Barack Obama reversed a former US policy to abstain from arming Syrian anti-government militant groups, claiming that the Syrian government had crossed the 'red line' by using chemical weapons. The European Union also decided to allow the expiration of an embargo on supplying weapons to Syrian anti-government militant groups on May 28, giving EU countries the option of arming opposition movements.
00:47France: Yak-130s, the Russian jets Syria signed for in 2011
Three Russian Yak-130s performed complex aerial manouvres at the Paris Air Show on Thursday.
In a signed 2011 jet fighter contract made with the Syrian government, Russia agreed to deliver 36 of these advanced aircrafts to Syria. The Yak-130 fighter jets have been manufactured but Russia has declined to transport them from the Irkut factory in Russia's Far East to Syrian government airfields.
Although the Yak-130 is a combat training jet, the Yakovlev design bureau confirms that it can be equipped with air to surface weapons, such as guided missiles and bombs. Russia penned the $550 million (€416.9 million) deal for the subsonic two-seat light attack aircraft with Syria but has so far held back on delivery. Russian officials declared that Russia will only provide the Syrian government with 'defensive weapons' to maintain 'balance' in the conflict.
On June 13, US President Barack Obama reversed a former US policy to abstain from arming Syrian anti-government militant groups, claiming that the Syrian government had crossed the 'red line' by using chemical weapons. The European Union also decided to allow the expiration of an embargo on supplying weapons to Syrian anti-government militant groups on May 28, giving EU countries the option of arming opposition movements.