Aero Vodochody was awarded a contract for the overhaul of L-39 Albatros aircraft to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence. The first two aircraft will be transferred to Aero by the end of January 2023. The contract also includes a partial upgrade of the machines. The framework contract is valid for four years. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered back in 2024 after the contract is fully completed. Under the contract, an order has been placed for the overhaul of the first two L-39ZA aircraft, including two engines and the Safir auxiliary launch unit. LOM Praha, a strategic partner, will also work on the contract and will overhaul the AI-25TL engines. Aero will start extensive overhaul and partial modernization work by the end of January when the aircraft will be delivered to the Vodokhod factory. According to the contract, the completion of the first aircraft is expected in 2024. The plan is to fly the aircraft back to Bulgaria on their own. Other suppliers from the Czech Republic, who cooperate with Aero Vodochody, will also participate in the contract.
“I am delighted with the successful completion of the tender and the opportunity to support another of the users of our legendary L-39 Albatros aircraft. We are systematically working to strengthen and develop relationships with the current users of our aircraft. Thus, Bulgaria joins the ranks of customers who have opted for overhaul and partial modernization of their aircraft,” says Filip Kulštrunk, Vice President of Sales at Aero Vodochody.
The contract also includes a partial modernization, mainly replacing the original Russian avionics with Western ones, thus modernizing navigation, communication, identification, and recording equipment. The overhaul itself will restore the aircraft to 7.5 years or 1,500 flight hours between overhauls.Aero has produced some 2,900 L-39 Albatros aircraft, hundreds of which are still flying around the world. The Albatros is historically the most successful jet trainer aircraft. But many countries also use them for other missions, such as reconnaissance missions or border protection. In recent years, the company has completed maintenance, repair, and upgrade orders for L-39C and L-39ZA aircraft from four foreign customers in Africa and Central Asia. The L39 Albatros aircraft are expected to be replaced in the future by the new L-39NG aircraft, which is enjoying great interest from users worldwide due to its successful certification.
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer designed and produced in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody. It 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. Unusually, the aircraft never received a NATO reporting name. The L-39 Albatros was designed during the 1960s as a successor to the Aero L-29 Delfín, an early jet-powered principal training aircraft. Performing its maiden flight on 4 November 1968, it became the first trainer aircraft in the world to be equipped with a turbofan powerplant. Additionally, it was exported to a range of countries across the world both as a trainer and a light attack aircraft. Since the 1990s, it has also become popular among civilian operators. By the end of the century, in excess of 2,800 L-39s had served with over 30 air forces. Several derivatives of the L-39 Albatros were developed. During the 1980s, Aero Vodochody used it as the basis for the L-59 Super Albatros, an enlarged and updated model.
