List of Aero L-39 Albatros operators
This is a list of countries and their air force units that have operated the Aero L-39 Albatros.
Military operators
[edit]Current
[edit]Abkhazia
[edit]- 4 L-39s as of December 2009
Algeria
[edit]- 55 L-39s as of December 2020[1]
Armenia
[edit]- 6 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Angola
[edit]- 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Azerbaijan
[edit]- 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Bangladesh
[edit]- Operating 7 L-39ZA out of 8 L-39ZA acquired in late 1990s.[1] One was lost in a crash in 2012 killing a pilot.[2]
Belarus
[edit]- 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Bulgaria
[edit]
- 1/12 Training Squadron operating 6 L-39ZA aircraft.[1]
Central African Republic
[edit]- 6 L-39s donated by Russia.[3]
Cuba
[edit]operating 26 L-39C aircraft in three squadrons:[1]
- UM 3710 Escuadrón de Intercepcion
- UM 1660 Escuela de Ensenanza de Vuelo Avanzada
- UM 4768 Escuadrón de Intercepcion
Egypt
[edit]- 1 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Equatorial Guinea
[edit]- 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Estonia
[edit]
- 1 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Ethiopia
[edit]- 10 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Georgia
[edit]- 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Kazakhstan
[edit]- 17 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Libya
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- 181x L-39ZO acquired during Gaddafi's era.
- Ten former Libyan L-39ZO delivered to Egypt.[4]
- 10 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Mali
[edit]Mozambique
[edit]Nigeria
[edit]
- 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Nicaragua
[edit]Russia
[edit]- 181 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Senegal
[edit]Slovakia
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- 4x L-39C
- 4x L-39ZA
- 7 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Syria
[edit]- 55 L-39ZO and 44 L-39ZA bought from Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s.[8]
- 61 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Tajikistan
[edit]- 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Tunisia
[edit]- 9 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Uganda
[edit]- 8 L-39ZA as of December 2020.[1]
Ukraine
[edit]
- 47 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Uzbekistan
[edit]- 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Vietnam
[edit]- 25 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Yemen
[edit]- 28 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Former
[edit]Afghanistan
[edit]
The Afghan Air Force operated as many as 26 L-39Cs from 1977 through 2001, but only three of them survived in 2001. In December 2021, a report by Al Jazeera showed an Afghan L-39 undergoing an engine test at Kabul International Airport.[9]
Cambodia
[edit]- Formerly operated 6 L-39C trainer aircraft
- Recently ordered 4 L-39NG trainer aircraft[10]
Chad
[edit]- Operated 11 L-39ZO aircraft.[citation needed]
Republic of the Congo
[edit]Czech Republic
[edit]
- L-39C
- L-39ZA
- L-39V
- L-39MS
Czechoslovakia
[edit]- 33x L-39C
- 6x L-39MS
- 8x L-39V
- 30x L-39ZA
Two Czechoslovakian AF L-39Vs were delivered to the East German Air Force.[4]
All Czechoslovakian Air Force aircraft passed to successor states – Czech Republic and Slovakia.
East Germany
[edit]- 52x L-39ZO
- 2x L-39V
- Two former Czechoslovak L-39Vs delivered to the East German Air Force.[4]
- Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary.[4]
Ghana
[edit]- 2 L-39ZO
Hungary
[edit]
- 20x L-39ZO
- Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary [4]
Iraq
[edit]- 22x L-39C
- 59x L-39ZO
Kyrgyzstan
[edit]- 4x (24 in store) L-39C
Lithuania
[edit]
- 1x L-39ZA
Romania
[edit]- 32x L-39ZA
South Sudan
[edit]Soviet Union
[edit]- 2080x L-39C
All Soviet Air Force aircraft passed to successor states: Azerbaijan,the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Thailand
[edit]
- 37 L-30ZA/ART in commissioned from 1994 to 2021. [1]
Turkmenistan
[edit]- 2 aircraft.
Civil operators
[edit]Australia
[edit]A small number of L-39s are flown in Australia as jet flight experiences for paying public.
Austria
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg?lang=en){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (February 2022) |
Canada
[edit]Northern Lights Aerobatics Team from Montreal used 2 L-39C in 2000, but ceased operating them and performing airshows after 2000.[14] The aircraft were registered and based in the US with Northern Lights USA of Lafayette, LA with 1 lost in crash in 2001.
France
[edit]A civilian aerobatic display team based in Dijon, France; operating seven L-39 Albatros jets in the colours of their sponsor, Breitling.
New Zealand
[edit]Fighter Jets NZ operate 2 L-39 from Tauranga, NZ for jet flight experiences and also do airshow displays around the country.
Soviet Union
[edit]DOSAAF paramilitary organization, tasked with the training and preparation of reserves for the Soviet armed forces, operated unknown number of L-39.
United States
[edit]Hundreds of L-39s are finding new homes with private owners all over the world, especially in the United States.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "World Air Forces 2021". flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 10 Jan 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ Report, Star (2012-04-09). "Training aircraft crashes". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
- ^ "Russia increasing material potential of Central African national army by supplying fighter jets – Manuel Nguema". Daily Post. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Aero L-39 Albatros page in Scramble magazine Archived 2006-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Martin, Guy (10 August 2022). "Mali commissions new aircraft". defenceWeb.
- ^ Lagneau, Laurent (9 August 2022). "Le Mali a reçu au moins quatre avions d'attaque légers L-39C Albatross, probablement livrés par la Russie". opex360.com.
- ^ Isby, David C.; Willis, David (December 2013). "Mozambique Rebuilding its Air Force". Air International. Vol. 85, no. 6. p. 26. ISSN 0306-5634.
- ^ Cooper 2022, p. VI
- ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost. "Taliban Air Force Commences Jet Operations". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Czech arms to be purchased - Khmer Times". 15 October 2019.
- ^ Binnie, Jeremy (12 September 2016). "South Sudan now flying L-39 jets". IHS Jane's 360. London. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ "L-39 users from all over the world met in AERO Vodochody". September 15, 2016.
- ^ "Aircraft – ITPS Canada". Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ^ "Pure Jet Experience - Wings Magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
Bibliography
[edit]- Cooper, Tom (2022). Syrian Conflagration: The Syrian Civil War, 2011-2013 (Revised ed.). Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-915070-81-4.
- Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International, Vol. 182, No. 5370, 11–17 December 2012. pp. 40–64. ISSN 0015-3710.
- Aero L-39 Albatros page in Scramble magazine