L-39 Albatros

Aero Vodochody · Czechoslovakia · first flew 1968 · fighter

A Czech single-turbofan jet trainer, the standard advanced trainer of the Warsaw Pact and one of the most widely built jet trainers.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Single turbofan fed by fuselage-side intakes
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Wingtip fuel tanks on a near-straight low wing
Stepped tandem canopy with raised rear seat
Single turbofan fed by fuselage-side intakes

Permanent wingtip tanks, a near-straight low wing and a stepped tandem canopy identify it. Its rounded nose and side intakes distinguish it from the swept-wing Hawk and twin-jet T-38.

Specifications

The L-39 Albatros has a length of 12.34 m (40 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.46 m (31 ft).
Its maximum speed is 750 km/h (466 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (instructor and student).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Aero Vodochody flew the L-39 in 1968 to replace the L-29 Delfin across the Soviet bloc. It was the first trainer designed around a turbofan, the Ivchenko AI-25TL, for fuel economy and endurance. More than 2,800 were produced and exported worldwide.

Variants

The L-39C was the basic trainer; the L-39ZO and armed L-39ZA added hardpoints and a gun pod, leading to the modernised L-39NG with a new engine and avionics.

Where you'll see it

The Albatros is not an RAF type; it equipped Soviet, Russian and many allied air forces and remains popular on the civil warbird and display circuit. The RAF's equivalent advanced trainer is the Hawk.

Related aircraft

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