The company AERO Vodochody will present a successor of Albatros at SIAF

Also this year, the exclusive partner of the Slovak International Air Fest SIAF, the company AERO Vodochody will present to all visitors of the largest aviation event in Slovakia a modern and cost-effective jet training aircraft Aero L-39NG based on the historical heritage of the proven and reliable aircraft L-39 Albatros. We will be able to admire L-39NG at the Kuchyňa Airport in Malacky on 27 and 28 August 2022 on a static exhibition, but also in the air, when the pilot will demonstrate all the possibilities of this machine.

The L-39NG aircraft was introduced for the first time in late 2018. A year later, its advantages could be admired by the public at NATO days in Ostrava, where the manufacturer AERO Vodochody celebrated its 100th birthday. Last year, also Slovak pilots from Sliač Air Base tried L-39NG, and in the end it was not missed by thousands of visitors at SIAF 2021. 

Aircraft manufactured with customer needs in mind

The L-39NG design is the result of opinions and information from customers, and in line with current and future air force needs around the world. It is designed primarily as a basic and advanced jet trainer, but it can also carry out many other missions, including light combat, direct air support, counter-insurgency fighting and reconnaissance. It belongs to the category of efficient and light jet aircraft designed for a full-fledged training of pilots of a modern air force.

Successor to Albatros

The aircraft is based on the aerodynamic concept of the original L-39, but its design is largely new. Nearly 90 percent of the hull parts are new constructions, and 10 percent are parts from the original Albatros. It´s worth noting that the L-39NG aircraft consists of 12,000 parts, 100 different types of aluminium alloys and 100 different types of steel. The L-39NG propulsion is provided by the highly economical FJ44-4M engine supplied with the TAP Blue maintenance system, which ensures unprecedented flight capabilities and predictability of maintenance costs for users.

"In its conception, L-39NG is a successor to the L-39 Albatros aircraft, a training complex that has been known in Slovakia since 1974. Also in view of the fact that there is a rich experience with the use of the entire L-39 complex in the training of pilots and technical personnel in the Slovak Republic through the Military University (Military Aviation Academy) and the Aviation Training Centre, it can be objectively stated that from several objective perspectives, L-39NG is the most appropriate substitute for the current L-39 used by the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic," says Miroslav Hájek, the former chief engineer of the Military Air Academy and acrobatic group Biele Albatrosy.

The avionics of the aircraft is ready for the training of future pilots of fourth and fifth generation aircraft, and can be largely adapted to customer requirements. In the combat variant the aircraft is equipped with five hardpoints for carrying armaments. The aircraft also includes a wide range of simulation technologies, including the connection to a highly modern tactical simulation centre to increase the effectiveness of the training.