EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif -- A Czech L-39 Albatross was delivered to the Test Pilot School for a six-month trial of its flight capabilities as a partial replacement for the retired T-39 fleet. The aircraft was a trainer and light-attack jet that had been a standard trainer for Warsaw Pact countries during the Cold War.
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer developed in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody. It was designed during the 1960s as a replacement for the Aero L-29 Delfín as a principal training aircraft. It was the first trainer aircraft to be equipped with a turbofan powerplant. The type was exported to a wide range of countries as a military trainer. The L-39 Albatros later served as the basis for the updated L-59 Super Albatros, as well as the L-139 prototype L-39 with Garrett TFE731 engine. A further development of the design, designated as the L-159 ALCA, entered production in 1997. To date, more than 2,800 L-39s have served with over 30 air forces around the world. The Albatros is the most widely used jet trainer in the world; in addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flown combat missions in a light-attack role. The design never received a North Atlantic Treaty Organization reporting name. At the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014, Aero Vodochody announced the launch of the L-39NG, an upgraded and modernized version of the L-39.