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.

  Current military operators
  Current civilian operators
  Former operators

Military operators edit

Current edit

Abkhazia edit

Abkhazian Air Force
  • 4 L-39s as of December 2009

Algeria edit

Algerian Air Force
  • 55 L-39s as of December 2020[1]

Armenia edit

Armenian Air Force
  • 6 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Angola edit

National Air Force of Angola
  • 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Azerbaijan edit

Azerbaijan Air Force
  • 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Bangladesh edit

Bangladesh Air Force
  • 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

Belarus Air Force
  • 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Bulgaria edit

 
Aero L-39 Albatros of the Bulgarian Air Force
Bulgarian Air Force
  • 1/12 Training Squadron operating 6 L-39ZA aircraft.[1]

Central African Republic edit

Central African Republic Air Force
  • 6 L-39s donated by Russia.[3]

Cuba edit

Cuban Air Force

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

Egyptian Air Force
  • 1 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Equatorial Guinea edit

Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea
  • 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Estonia edit

 
An Estonian L-39 in flight
Estonian Air Force
  • 1 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Ethiopia edit

Ethiopian Air Force
  • 10 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Georgia edit

Georgian Air Force
  • 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Kazakhstan edit

Kazakhstan Air Force
  • 17 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Libya edit

 
Aero L-39 Albatros working in Libyan Air Force.
Libyan Air Force
  • 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

Malian Air Force
  • At least four L-39Cs delivered by Russia in August 2022.[5][6]

Mozambique edit

Mozambique Air Force
  • One L-39ZO acquired from Romania in 2013.[7][1]

Nigeria edit

 
Nigerian Aero L-39.
Nigerian Air Force
  • 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Nicaragua edit

Nicaraguan Air Forces

Russia edit

Russian Air Force
  • 181 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Senegal edit

Senegalese Air Force

Slovakia edit

 
A Slovak L-39ZA (1701) in Biele Albatrosy colors at Radom Air Show 2005
Slovak Air Force
  • 4x L-39C
  • 4x L-39ZA
  • 7 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Syria edit

Syrian Air Force
  • 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

Tajik Air Force
  • 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Tunisia edit

Tunisia Air Force
  • 9 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Uganda edit

Ugandan Air Force
  • 8 L-39ZA as of December 2020.[1]

Ukraine edit

 
A Ukrainian L-39
Ukrainian Air Force
  • 47 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Uzbekistan edit

Uzbekistan Air Force
  • 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Vietnam edit

Vietnamese Air Force
  • 25 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Yemen edit

Yemen Air Force
  • 28 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]

Former edit

Afghanistan edit

 
Afghan National Air Corps L-39 Albatross jets take off in a formation practice for the aerial parade in the upcoming Afghan National Day in Kabul, April 12, 2007.
Afghan Air Force

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

Royal Cambodian Air Force
  • Formerly operated 6 L-39C trainer aircraft
  • Recently ordered 4 L-39NG trainer aircraft[10]

Chad edit

Military of Chad

Republic of the Congo edit

Congolese Air Force

Czech Republic edit

 
a Czech Aero L-39
Czech Air Force
  • L-39C
  • L-39ZA
  • L-39V
  • L-39MS

Czechoslovakia edit

Czechoslovakian Air Force
  • 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

East German Air Force
  • 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

Ghana Air Force
  • 2 L-39ZO

Hungary edit

 
Hungarian Aero L-39 Albatros
Hungarian Air Force
  • 20x L-39ZO
  • Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary [4]

Iraq edit

Iraqi Air Force
  • 22x L-39C
  • 59x L-39ZO

Kyrgyzstan edit

Kyrgyzstan Air Force
  • 4x (24 in store) L-39C

Lithuania edit

 
Lithuania Aero L-39 Albatros.
Lithuanian Air Force
  • 1x L-39ZA


Romania edit

Romanian Air Force
  • 32x L-39ZA

South Sudan edit

South Sudan Air Force
  • Unknown number of L-39 jets with logistical and maintenance support from Uganda[11]

Soviet Union edit

DOSAAF
Soviet Air Force
  • 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

 
A Royal Thai Air Force L-39ZA/ART Albatros.
Royal Thai Air Force
  • 37 L-30ZA/ART in commissioned from 1994 to 2021. [1]

Turkmenistan edit

Turkmenistan Air Force
  • 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

[12]

Canada edit

International Test Pilots School[13]

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

Breitling Jet Team

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

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Report, Star (2012-04-09). "Training aircraft crashes". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  3. ^ "Russia increasing material potential of Central African national army by supplying fighter jets – Manuel Nguema". Daily Post. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Aero L-39 Albatros page in Scramble magazine Archived 2006-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Martin, Guy (10 August 2022). "Mali commissions new aircraft". defenceWeb.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Isby, David C.; Willis, David (December 2013). "Mozambique Rebuilding its Air Force". Air International. Vol. 85, no. 6. p. 26. ISSN 0306-5634.
  8. ^ Cooper 2022, p. VI
  9. ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost. "Taliban Air Force Commences Jet Operations". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Czech arms to be purchased - Khmer Times". 15 October 2019.
  11. ^ Binnie, Jeremy (12 September 2016). "South Sudan now flying L-39 jets". IHS Jane's 360. London. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  12. ^ "L-39 users from all over the world met in AERO Vodochody". September 15, 2016.
  13. ^ "Aircraft – ITPS Canada". Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  14. ^ "Pure Jet Experience - Wings Magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2011-01-12.

Bibliography edit