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A Russian-imported Yak-130 military aircraft operated by the Việt Nam Air Force crashed in Đắk Lắk province during a training exercise on Jan. 28, marking the second accident involving this weapon system in less than two years.

According to information from the Ministry of National Defense, the Yak-130 (tail number undisclosed) took off at 7:27 a.m. from an airfield belonging to Air Regiment 940, Air Force Officer School. The flight was part of a scheduled training exercise under the Air Defense–Air Force Service. [1]

However, the aircraft lost contact just 17 minutes into the flight. After failing to resolve a malfunction, the pilot, Lieutenant Đinh Thành Trung, ejected safely. The jet subsequently crashed into Hòn Vinh Mountain in Đông Hòa ward, Đắk Lắk province.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the specific cause of the incident, stating only that they are “investigating the cause.” No civilian casualties or damage to residential structures were reported.

Not an Isolated Incident

This is not an isolated incident. In November 2024, the same unit—Air Regiment 940—experienced a similar Yak-130 crash in Phú Yên. [2] During that event, a landing gear failure forced Colonel Nguyễn Văn Sơn and Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Hồng Quân to eject; they were stranded in mountainous forest terrain for 10 hours before rescue teams arrived.

Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko has argued that the Yak-130 is currently one of the most accident-prone combat training aircraft, citing the Ukrainian-manufactured AI-222-25 engine as the core issue. [3] Russia's invasion of Ukraine severed the supply chain for these components, forcing Russia to produce unlicensed engines using improvised, uncertified parts.

Consequently, Rostec, Russia’s central defense conglomerate, had to establish a specialized service center for Yak-130 engines, as the aircraft consumes them at a rate far exceeding original expectations. Kovalenko notes that wear on the AI-222-25 engines has increased significantly, even without a corresponding increase in flight hours.

Vietnamese Yak-130 combat training aircraft purchased from Russia. Photo: Hao Phan/Jet Photos .

The Yak-130 Contract and the Question of Effectiveness

In 2019, Việt Nam signed a $350 million contract for 12 Yak-130 aircraft. However, after just three to four years of deployment, only 11 remain operational.

Russia's Vedomosti newspaper, citing defense industry executives, first revealed the acquisition in January 2020. [4] This purchase made Việt Nam the sixth nation to import the platform, joining Algeria, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, and Belarus.

At the time, Andrei Frolov, editor-in-chief of Arms Exports magazine, suggested the deal was a stepping stone, paving the way for Việt Nam to acquire more advanced Russian fighters like the Su-30SM and Su-35. Given recent events, that trajectory may now be in doubt.

Nearly 30 Years of Accidents Involving Soviet/Russian Military Aircraft

Over the last 30 years, at least 12 serious accidents involving Soviet- and Russian-origin aircraft have occurred in Việt Nam, claiming at least 56 lives.

Between 2001 and 2003, crashes involving Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters resulted in approximately 31 deaths. [5] In 2008, an engine failure brought down an AN-26 transport plane in Hà Nội, killing the entire crew. In 2014, a mid-air fire on a Mi-171 helicopter in Thạch Thất killed 18 personnel . [6]

A 2015 Su-22 crash in the East Sea resulted in pilot fatalities [7], followed by a Su-30MK2 crash in 2016 during a test flight where two pilots went missing . [8] Between 2018 and 2019 alone, at least five pilots died in accidents involving Su-22s and Yak-52 trainers. [9] [10]

The trend has persisted into the 2020s, with a fatal Su-22 crash in Yên Bái in 2023 [11] and another non-fatal crash in Quảng Nam in 2024. [12] Despite the frequency of these incidents, the Ministry of National Defense rarely publicizes the causes.

The crash site of the Mi-171 helicopter accident occurred in 2014. Photo: Minh Đức/ Tiền Phong .

More Russian Aircraft on the Way

Despite Western sanctions, a report from The New York Times in October 2025 revealed that the Vietnamese government has moved forward with secret acquisitions of Russian military hardware. [13] Citing leaked documents, the report indicates that Việt Nam purchased 40 Su-35 and Su-30 fighter jets in a deal valued at approximately $8 billion.

According to the Associated Press , internal sources confirmed that Việt Nam utilized profits from a joint Vietnamese-Russian oil and gas venture in Siberia to pay for the weapons. Both agencies report that they established secret payment channels specifically to circumvent U.S. and Western sanctions.

An excerpt from a June 11, 2024 memorandum from PetroVietnam (PVN) to the Ministry of Industry and Trade outlining payment methods for Russian weapons contracts. Photo: Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo.

Dependence on Russian Military Equipment

Vietnam's military capability is heavily dependent on Russian hardware due to its history as a Soviet ally. This relationship deepened after 2009, when the two nations signed a series of large-scale defense contracts for submarines , naval vessels, tanks , and fighter jets—largely financed through Russian loans. [15] [16]

While the escalation of the Russia–Ukraine conflict caused a temporary halt in acquisitions, the pause was short-lived. Arms agreements had resumed by 2024, although domestic media rarely discloses the details of these procurement deals.

A formation of five Su-30MK2 fighter jets, imported from Russia, during rehearsal for the September 2, 2025 event. Photo: Vietnam News Agency.

Hạo Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on Feb. 03, 2026. Đàm Vĩnh Hằng translated it into English for The Vietnamese Magazine.

References: +

1. Báo Mới. (2026, January 29). Máy bay quân sự rơi tại Đắk Lắk: Nam phi công bình phục, được xuất viện. https://baomoi.com . https://baomoi.com/may-bay-quan-su-roi-tai-dak-lak-nam-phi-cong-binh-phuc-duoc-xuat-vien-c54366166.epi

2. Tuổi Trẻ Online. (2024, November 6). Rơi máy bay huấn luyện Yak-130 tại Bình Định, 2 phi công nhảy dù thoát hiểm. TUOI TRE ONLINE . https://tuoitre.vn/roi-may-bay-huan-luyen-yak-130-tai-binh-dinh-2-phi-cong-nhay-du-thoat-hiem-20241106122037892.htm#content-2

3. Tv, E. (2024, October 10). Russia’s Yak-130 trainer jets face rising failures due to makeshift engine parts, analyst says. Espreso . https://global.espreso.tv/russia-ukraine-war-russian-yak-130-combat-trainer-aircraft-crashes-during-training-flight-in-volgograd-region

4. Times, M. (2026, February 3). Vietnam orders $350M combat training jets from Russia – vedomosti. The Moscow Times . https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/01/29/vietnam-orders-350m-combat-training-jets-from-russia-vedomosti-a69074

5. VietNamNet News. (n.d.). Nhìn lại những vụ rơi máy bay tại Việt Nam. VietNamNet News . https://vietnamnet.vn/nhin-lai-nhung-vu-roi-may-bay-tai-viet-nam-219061.html

6. 18 chiến sĩ hy sinh trong vụ rơi máy bay tại Hòa Lạc . (2014, July 7). Báo Phụ Nữ. https://www.phunuonline.com.vn/18-chien-si-hy-sinh-trong-vu-roi-may-bay-tai-hoa-lac-a79206.html

7. Ranter, H. (n.d.). Accident Sukhoi SU-22M4 5857, Thursday 16 April 2015 . https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/175451

8. Allison, G., & Allison, G. (2016, June 14). Vietnamese Su-30 crashes, two pilots missing . UK Defence Journal. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/vietnamese-su-30-crashes-two-pilots-missing/

9. Afp, S. W. W., & Afp, S. W. W. (2018, July 26). Two pilots killed in Vietnam Su-22 trainer jet crash . The Defense Post. https://thedefensepost.com/2018/07/26/vietnam-su-22-crash-2-pilots-killed-trainer/

10. Afp, S. W. W., & Afp, S. W. W. (2019, June 14). Vietnam air force pilots killed in Yak-52 plane crash . The Defense Post. https://thedefensepost.com/2019/06/14/vietnam-air-force-pilots-killed-yak-52-plane-crash/

11. Reuters. (2023, January 31). Military jet crashes in northern Vietnam, 1 pilot killed. Reuters . https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/military-aircraft-crashes-northern-vietnam-one-pilot-killed-2023-01-31/

12. Ngọc, H. (2024, January 9). Quảng Nam: Máy bay quân sự rơi khi đang bay huấn luyện. Copyright (C) by https://congdankhuyenhoc.vn . https://congdankhuyenhoc.vn/quang-nam-may-bay-quan-su-roi-khi-dang-bay-huan-luyen-phi-cong-thoat-hiem-an-toan-179240109150329976.htm

13. Cave, D. (2025, October 28). Is the U.S. Losing in Vietnam? Russia, North Korea and China Are Gaining. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/world/asia/vietnam-russia-relations.html

14. Rising, D. (2025, September 19). Russia, Vietnam using energy profits to avoid possible US sanctions | AP News . AP News. https://apnews.com/article/vietnam-russia-money-transactions-united-states-a71a83e7d60672a63565cc9fe28945d7

15. Parameswaran, P. (2015, December 22). Vietnam to Get Fifth Kilo Submarine from Russia in Early 2016. The Diplomat . https://thediplomat.com/2015/12/vietnam-to-get-fifth-kilo-submarine-from-russia-in-early-2016/

16. See [14]

Việt Nam Loses Another Russian Yak-130 Training Aircraft in Đắk Lắk Crash

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