Utva Lasta (Swallow)

History

The Basic/Primary Aircraft Trainer has long been part of military pilot training. The modern form follows the same proven design line very closely, including a low-mounted straight main wing, single tail, nose-mounted engines, tricycle landing gear and double seats for teachers and students. The utva Lasta (Swallow) is no exception it embraces all these qualities while standing out from the local Serbian industry in the post-war recovery years. The aircraft first flew in the air as a prototype on September 1, 1985, but was not launched until August 5, 2010 (Iraqi Air Force) due to regional instability.

About thirty-seven have been produced to date. The Serbian Air Force is the only other global operator of this type (2019).

The Lasta was developed as a direct successor to the aging Utva 75 fixed-wing flight trainer introduced in the late 1970s. Like other basic trainers in the skies today, the Lasta is a high-performance monoplane capable of basic pilot training, basic weapons training and aerobatics.

This inherent capability stems from the aircraft's robust construction, which is designed to absorb a lot of force while providing the basic training aspiring pilots need. Design work included "Lasta 1" in 1985, followed by an improved "Lasta 2" in 1989.

However, the Yugoslav war in the 1990s hampered the project, and work did not resume until 2006 - leading to the "Lasta 95" lead. Incarnation borrowed heavily from work done on the Lasta 2 form (of its six prototypes, only Five survived the war).

The basic layout of this aircraft is conventional. The overall length reaches 26 feet, with a wingspan of 31.9 feet and a height of 9.3 feet. Curb weight is 2,000 lbs and MTOW is 2,700 lbs. The nose-mounted Lycoming engine drives the nose-mounted twin-blade propeller unit, which propels the aircraft to an altitude of 20,000 feet and a range of 720 miles at 215 mph. The climb rate is 1,670 feet per minute.

With its underwing mounts, the aircraft can carry the usual conventional throwing weapons (220lb bombs) or 57mm 7-round rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods (both 7.62mm and 12.7mm models). This gives the aircraft the versatility needed to perform multiple missions with a single flexible airframe.

Variants of the series include the "Lasta 95N" as a base trainer. It was powered by a 300 hp 6-cylinder engine driving a twin-blade propeller unit, two mounts allowed for light weapons training, and the overall design of the aircraft allowed for greater maneuverability (for aerobatics). "Lasta 95V-54" is a military variant of the Serbian Air Force. Changes to the type include a switch to a 315-horsepower Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A engine, improved instrumentation and controls, and a pair of underwing hardpoints for full ordnance transport.

The "Lasta 95P-2" is a customizable version of the Serbian Air Force Lasta 95V-54 for the export market.

Currently, the Iraqi Air Force has around 20 Lasta 95N variants with an option to add 16 airframes (2019) - the service actually became the first operator of the aircraft in 2010. The Serbian Air Force started using the aircraft in 2019, out of a total of 24 orders in 2012 (2019), 14 of them.

There are other potential operators for the aircraft, but no commitments have been received.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes