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L-39
Albatros jet trainer combat aircraft |
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The
Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed
in Czechoslovakia to meet requirements for a trainer aircraft during
the 1960s to replace the L-29 DelfÃn. Designed before the Soviet
armed intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Aero L-39 Albatros
is now wellon the road to emulating its predecessor, the L-29 Delfin,
as the standard jet trainer for Warsaw Pact (except Poland) and other
airforces. Aero began with three prototypes, the middle one of which
flew for the first time on 4 November 1968; the other two were subjected
to structural and fatigue tests. Pilot for the first flight was Rudolf
Duchon, who had also been responsible for the early test programmeof
the L-29 nine years before. The powerplant selected for the L-39 is
the Soviet-designed Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan, and most of the early delays
in the aircraft's development are thought to be the result of problems
encountered in relating this to the L-39's airframe, so ren- dering
it acceptable for licence production in Czechoslovakia. One of the chief
problems seems to have been the supply of air to the engine: by late
1970, at which time five flying prototypes had been completed, modified
intakes of greater length and increased area were noticed on these development
aircraft. During the following year, a pre-production batch of 10 L-39s
was built to the modified configuration, and series production began
in late 1972. By 1979, more than 1,000 had been ordered, of which more
than half had been completed. These are of three main versions. The
basic L-39C, for elementary and advanced jet training, has been supplied
in quantity to the Czech and Soviet air forces plus those of other Warsaw
Pact nations as a successor to the L-29; it began to enter service in
1974. When equipped for weapons training, the two-seater is known as
the L-39Z. A single-seat armed variant, for use in the light close-support
and ground-attack roles, is designated L-390: Iraq is known to be among
the operators of this last version. Dipl.-Ing. Jan Vlcek, who led the
Aero design team responsible for the L-39, has produced a physically
attractive little aeroplane with a significant improvement in performance
over its predecessor (Mach 0.83 top speed, compared with the L-29's
Mach 0.75). Tandem seating (on zero-height ejection seats in the L39C)
is retained, but naturally with the rear (instructor's) seat elevated
to improve his view forward. Simultaneously, this enables the lower-placed
front cockpit to slope downward towards a finely- pointed nose that
reduces drag and contributes to enhanced performance. |
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| Variants | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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L-39C: Standard basic trainer for Czech Republic and export.
Originally designated L-39, but renamed L-39C when later variants appeared.
Two pylons under wing. - L-39CM: Slovak upgraded C version. - L-39Z: armed trainer with four pylons stressed for 500 kg inboard and 250 kg outboard , with total external load of 1,150 kg. - L-39ZA: Significantly upgraded L-39Z for armed training and light attack, employing sturdier landing gear, a higher payload (total 1,290 kg) and notably provision for a GSh-23L 23 millimeter twin barreled cannon attached in a conformal pod under the pilots' compartment, having a 150 round magazine within the airframe. Outer pylons wired to carry K-13 or R-60 air-to-air missiles. - L-39MS: The Aero L-39MS Super Albatros is a second generation military trainer aircraft developed from the firm's earlier L-39. Compared to its predecessor, it featured a strengthened fuselage, longer nose, a vastly updated cockpit, and a more powerful (21.6 kN) Lotarev DV-2 engine, allowing operation at higher weights and speeds (max speed 872 km/h). First flight on 30 September 1986. It was later designated as the Aero L-59. |
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| Design | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction
is modular, the air-frame being broken down into only three major sub-assemblies
(wing, fuselage, and rear fuselage/tail unit) to facilitate major main-
tenance and overhaul. The entire wing, except for the moving surfaces,
is in one piece, including the permanent tip-tanks, and the swept fin
is integral with the rear fuselage; the latter is removable to provide
easy access to the engine for servicing. Including detachables such
as nose-cone, control surfaces, landing gear and canopies, the entire
L-39 airframe consists of little more than a couple of dozen basic components.
This enables any one to be replaced quickly and easily; plenty of access
panels are provided for reaching individual systems or installation. |
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| Avionics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The
avionics suite equipped in the L-29 includes a horizontal situation
indicator, a radio altimeter, an intercom and radio control panel, a
radio magnetic indicator, a standby radio control panel, an electronic
flight instrument system and an attitude heading and reference system.
The cockpit is equipped with a mission computer, head-up display (HUD),
multi-functional display (MFD), air data computer (ADC) and up-front
control panel. An instrument landing system, an information friend or
foe transponder, an electronic standby instrument system, a tactical
air navigation system, and Bendix / King distance measuring equipment
form part of the cockpit. The communication and navigation devices installed
in the aircraft encompass hands on throttle and stick control system,
very high frequency radio, global positioning system and inertial navigation
system. |
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| Propulsion | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The
L-39 Albatros is powered by a single Ivchenko AI-25 TL twin-shaft turbofan
engine which can produce a maximum thrust of 16.87kN. The engine is
embedded in the fuselage and is fed through shoulder-mounted, semi-circular
air intakes (fitted with splitter plates) just behind the cockpit; the
engine exhausts below the tailplane. Five rubber bag fuel tanks are
located in the fuselage behind the cockpit. The main, trailing-arm landing
gear legs retract inward into wing bays; the nose gear retracts forward. |
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| Armament | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Up
to 2,425 lb (1100 kg) of weapons on four underwing points, including
bombs of up to 1,102-lb (500-kg) size, pods of 57- or 130-mm rockets,
gun pods, a single five-camera reconnaissance pack, or two drop-tanks;
centreline point under fuselage for podded 23-mm GSh-23 23-mm twin-barrel
cannon with 180 rounds |
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L-39 Albatros jet trainer combat aircraft technical data sheet specifications intelligence description information identification pictures photos images video Czech Republic Czech Air Force defence aviation industry military technology
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