Aero L-59 Super Albatros

Infobox Aircraft
name= L-59 Super Albatros


caption=
type=Military trainer aircraft
manufacturer=Aero Vodochody
designer=
first flight=30 September 1996
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user= Czech Air Force
more users=Egyptian Air Force
Tunisian Air Force
produced=
number built=
unit cost=
developed from=Aero L-39 Albatros
variants with their own articles=The Aero L-59 Super Albatros is a Czech 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 engine. At the time of its first flight on September 30 1996, it was designated the L-39MS.

In 1992, a dedicated single-seat attack variant was proposed under the project name ALCA (Advanced Light Combat Aircraft), and was successfully marketed to the Czech Air Force. First flight of this variant, designated L-159A, was on August 2 1997. The aircraft features mostly Western avionics, with systems integration undertaken by Boeing. The Czech Republic is currently the only operator of the type. Since then a new two-seat trainer has been flown as the L-159B Albatros II.

In 2006, Czech offered to the Indonesian Air Forces (TNI-AU) the L-159B as a replacement for their Indonesian Hawk Mk 53. Indonesia haven't decided yet, while K-8 Karakorum from China, Aermacchi MB-339FD from Italy and Yakovlev Yak-130 from Russia are serious competitors to L-159B ^[1] .

Variants

* L-59 - standard production version (six L-39MS for Czechoslovakian Air Force). Later four in Czech Air Force, two in Slovak Air Force.
** L-59E - 48x L-59s for Egyptian Air Force
** L-59T - 12x L-59s for Tunisian Air Force

Operators

*CZE: Czech Air Force
*EGY: Egyptian Air Force
*TUN: Tunisian Air Force

pecifications (L-59)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet

crew=2: student and instructor
length main=12.20 m
length alt=40 ft 0 in
span main=9.54 m
span alt=31 ft 3 in
height main=4.77 m
height alt=15 ft 5 in
area main=18.8 m²
area alt=202 ft²
empty weight main=4,030 kg
empty weight alt=8,866 lb
loaded main=
loaded alt=
max takeoff weight main=7,000 kg
max takeoff weight alt=15,400 lb

engine (jet)=
type of jet=ZMKB DV-2
number of jets=1
thrust main=21.6 kN
thrust alt=4,850 lbf

max speed main=870 km/h
max speed alt=470 knots, 540 mph
range main=1,570 km
range alt=848 nm, 973 mi
ceiling main=12,200 m
ceiling alt=37,720 ft
climb rate main=25 m/s
climb rate alt=4,920 ft/min
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=

armament=
* 4 external hardpoints accommodating gunpods, bombs, and/or rockets

References

* [http://www.aero.cz/main.php?pageid=28 Aero Vodochody Product Page] ^[1] ANGKASA No.07 Edisi April 2007 (page 14-15)

ee also

aircontent

related=
* Aero L-159 Alca

similar aircraft=
* BAe Hawk
* Mikoyan MiG-AT
* Yakovlev Yak-130
* Soko G-4 Super Galeb

sequence=

lists=

see also=