Aero L-39 Albatross
| L-39 Albatros | |
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| A Czech Air Force L-39C | |
| Role | Military trainer aircraft Light ground-attack aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Aero Vodochody |
| Designer | Jan Vlcek |
| First flight | 4 November 1968 |
| Introduction | 28 March 1972 with the Czechoslovak Air Force |
| Status | Out of production, in active use with various air forces |
| Primary users |
Soviet Air Force Czechoslovak Air Force Libyan Air Force Syrian Air Force |
| Produced | 1971–1996 |
| Number built | 2,900 |
| Developed from | Aero L-29 Delfín |
| Variants | Aero L-39NG |
| Developed into |
Aero L-59 Super Albatros Aero L-159 Alca |
 In-cockpit footage of an L-39 taking off and performing aerobatics
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L-39 performing a solo display at the Wanaka 2012 airshow
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Excerpt from 1980s aerodynamics documentary
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The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody. It was designed during the 1960s as a replacement for the Aero L-29 Delfín as a principal training aircraft. The L-39 Albatros has the distinction of being the first of the second-generation jet trainers to be produced, as well as being the first trainer aircraft to be equipped with a turbofan powerplant. The type was widely exported to a wide range of international operators as a military trainer.
The L-39 Albatros later served as the basis for the updated L-59 Super Albatros, as well as the L-139 (prototype L-39 with Garrett TFE731 engine). A further development of the design, designated as the L-159 ALCA, entered production in 1997. To date, more than 2,800 L-39s have served with over 30 air forces around the world. The Albatros is the most widely used jet trainer in the world; in addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flown combat missions in a light-attack role. The design never received a NATO reporting name.
At the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014, Aero Vodochody announced the launch of the L-39NG, an upgraded and modernised version of the L-39.
In 1964, Czechoslovakian aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody embarked on a new design project to meet the specified requirements for a "C-39" (C for cvičný – trainer), setting up a design team under the leadership of Jan Vlček. This aircraft was to serve as a replacement for the Aero L-29 Delfín, an early jet-powered trainer, as a principal training aircraft. Vlcek envisioned the type, a twin-seat single-engine aircraft, being adopted as the primary trainer throughout the Warsaw Pact nations.
On 4 November 1969, the L-39 (under the designation "Prototype X-02" – the second airframe to be built) conducted its maiden flight, for which it was piloted by Rudolf Duchoň, the factory's test pilot. Serial production of the initial model of the L-39, designated L-39C, commenced in 1971. In 1972, the L-39 Albatros was formally recognized by the majority of the countries comprising the Warsaw Pact as their preferred primary trainer, after which point, sizable orders from military customers throughout the bloc proceeded, many of which were from the Soviet Air Forces. In 1974, the first L-39 trainer entered service with the Czechoslovakian Air Force.
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Wikipedia