Bangladesh is planning to buy 24 Yak-130 Mitten jet trainers on $1 billion credit from Russia, Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said.

“Bangladesh has a whole list of arms it wants, but so far that is a state secret. I will reveal one little secret: The purchase of Yak-130 warplanes is a very significant subject of negotiations between Russia and Bangladesh,” Rosoboronexport Deputy Chief Viktor Komardin said at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition (LIMA 2013). He added that negotiations on Yak-130s are due to begin later this spring.

The Yak-130 is a highly manoeuvrable aircraft with an extended range of about 2,000 kilometres and a maximum speed of 1,060 kilometres per hour in level flight.