Misplaced Pages

This is a list of countries and their air force units that have operated the Aero L-39 Albatros.

Military operators

Current

Abkhazia

Abkhazian Air Force

• 4 L-39s as of December 2009

Afghanistan

Afghan Air Force

• 1 unit Active in 2024. 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.

Algeria

Algerian Air Force

• 55 L-39s as of December 2020

Armenia

Armenian Air Force

• 10 aircraft as of December 2020.

Angola

National Air Force of Angola

• 4 aircraft as of December 2020.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Air Force

• 12 aircraft as of December 2020.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Air Force

• Operating 7 L-39ZA out of 8 L-39ZA acquired in late 1990s. One was lost in a crash in 2012 killing a pilot.

Belarus

Belarus Air Force

• 12 aircraft as of December 2020.

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Air Force

• 1/12 Training Squadron operating 6 L-39ZA aircraft.

Central African Republic

Central African Republic Air Force

• 6 L-39s donated by Russia.

Cuba

Cuban Air Force

operating 26 L-39C aircraft in three squadrons:

• UM 3710 Escuadrón de Intercepcion
• UM 1660 Escuela de Ensenanza de Vuelo Avanzada
• UM 4768 Escuadrón de Intercepcion

Egypt

Egyptian Air Force

• 1 aircraft as of December 2020.

Equatorial Guinea

Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea

• 2 aircraft as of December 2020.

Estonia

Estonian Air Force

• 1 aircraft as of December 2020.

Ethiopia

Ethiopian Air Force

• 10 aircraft as of December 2020.

Georgia

Georgian Air Force

• 8 aircraft as of December 2020.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Air Force

• 17 aircraft as of December 2020.

Libya

Libyan Air Force

• 181x L-39ZO acquired during Gaddafi's era.
• Ten former Libyan L-39ZO delivered to Egypt.
• 10 aircraft as of December 2020.

Mali

Malian Air Force

• At least four L-39Cs delivered by Russia in August 2022.

Mozambique

Mozambique Air Force

• One L-39ZO acquired from Romania in 2013.

Nigeria

Nigerian Air Force

• 8 aircraft as of December 2020.

Nicaragua

Nicaraguan Air Forces

Russia

Russian Air Force

• 181 aircraft as of December 2020.

Senegal

Senegalese Air Force

• 4 L-39NG on order as of December 2020.

Slovakia

Slovak Air Force

• 4x L-39C
• 4x L-39ZA
• 7 aircraft as of December 2020.

Syria

Syrian Air Force

• 55 L-39ZO and 44 L-39ZA bought from Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s.
• 61 aircraft as of December 2020.

Syrian opposition

• Atleast 14 captured by the rebels during the Operation Dawn of Freedom.

Tajikistan

Tajik Air Force

• 4 aircraft as of December 2020.

Tunisia

Tunisia Air Force

• 9 aircraft as of December 2020.

Uganda

Ugandan Air Force

• 8 L-39ZA as of December 2020.

Ukraine

Ukrainian Air Force

• 47 aircraft as of December 2020.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Air Force

• 2 aircraft as of December 2020.

Vietnam

Vietnamese Air Force

• 25 aircraft as of December 2020.

Yemen

Yemen Air Force

• 28 aircraft as of December 2020.

Former

Cambodia

Royal Cambodian Air Force

• Formerly operated 6 L-39C trainer aircraft
• Recently ordered 4 L-39NG trainer aircraft

Chad

Military of Chad

• Operated 11 L-39ZO aircraft.

Republic of the Congo

Congolese Air Force

Czech Republic

Czech Air Force

• L-39C
• L-39ZA
• L-39V
• L-39MS

Czechoslovakia

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.

All Czechoslovakian Air Force aircraft passed to successor states – Czech Republic and Slovakia.

East Germany

East German Air Force

• 52x L-39ZO
• 2x L-39V
• Two former Czechoslovak L-39Vs delivered to the East German Air Force.
• Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary.

Ghana

Ghana Air Force

• 2 L-39ZO

Hungary

Hungarian Air Force

• 20x L-39ZO
• Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary

Iraq

Iraqi Air Force

• 22x L-39C
• 59x L-39ZO

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan Air Force

• 4x (24 in store) L-39C

Lithuania

Lithuanian Air Force

• 1x L-39ZA

Romania

Romanian Air Force

• 32x L-39ZA

South Sudan

South Sudan Air Force

• Unknown number of L-39 jets with logistical and maintenance support from Uganda

Soviet Union

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

Royal Thai Air Force

• 37 L-30ZA/ART in commissioned from 1994 to 2021.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan Air Force

• 2 aircraft.

Civil operators

Australia

A small number of L-39s are flown in Australia as jet flight experiences for paying public.

Austria

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (February 2022)

Canada

International Test Pilots School

Northern Lights Aerobatics Team from Montreal used 2 L-39C in 2000, but ceased operating them and performing airshows after 2000. The aircraft were registered and based in the US with Northern Lights USA of Lafayette, LA with 1 lost in crash in 2001.

France

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.

TopGun Voltige

This company based in La Roche-sur-Yon operates 2 L-39 Albatros jets for touristic flights.

New Zealand

Fighter Jets NZ operate 2 L-39 from Tauranga, NZ for jet flight experiences and also do airshow displays around the country.

Soviet Union

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

Hundreds of L-39s are finding new homes with private owners all over the world, especially in the United States.

See also

• Aero L-39 Albatros

References

Notes

1. "World Air Forces 2025". Flightglobal Insight. 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
2. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost. "Taliban Air Force Commences Jet Operations". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
3. ^ "World Air Forces 2021". flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 10 Jan 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
4. Report, Star (2012-04-09). "Training aircraft crashes". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
5. "Russia increasing material potential of Central African national army by supplying fighter jets – Manuel Nguema". Daily Post. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
6. ^ Aero L-39 Albatros page in Scramble magazine Archived 2006-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
7. Martin, Guy (10 August 2022). "Mali commissions new aircraft". defenceWeb.
8. 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.
9. Isby, David C.; Willis, David (December 2013). "Mozambique Rebuilding its Air Force". Air International. Vol. 85, no. 6. p. 26. ISSN 0306-5634.
10. Cooper 2022, p. VI
11. "Amid Turkish bombardment | Clashes escalate between Kurdish forces and "National Army" factions in northern Aleppo countryside - The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 1 December 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
12. "Czech arms to be purchased - Khmer Times". 15 October 2019.
13. Binnie, Jeremy (12 September 2016). "South Sudan now flying L-39 jets". IHS Jane's 360. London. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
14. "L-39 users from all over the world met in AERO Vodochody". September 15, 2016.
15. "Aircraft – ITPS Canada". Retrieved 2020-10-09.
16. "Pure Jet Experience - Wings Magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
17. "TopGun Voltige".

Bibliography

• 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

• Lists of military units and formations by aircraft
• Lists of Aero Vodochody aircraft operators