In the coming days, the Czech Republic will say farewell to its iconic jet, the Aero L-39 Albatros. Developed in the 1960s and used by approximately forty-five air forces all over the world, this training and light-attack aircraft will soon end its operational service with the last domestic government-related operator, Centrum Leteckého Výcviku (Flight Training Centre – CLV) in Pardubice.
The L-39 Albatros, developed and manufactured by Aero Vodochody, made its first flight on 4 November 1968. Designed as a successor to another famous Czech jet, the Aero L-29 Delfín, the aircraft was the first training aeroplane to be equipped with a turbofan powerplant, the Ivchenko AI-25TL, which originated in the Soviet Union.
Serial production of the L-39 was launched in 1971, and in March of the following year, the Albatros was officially introduced into service with the then Czechoslovak Air Force. In a short time, the new trainer was adopted by almost all Warsaw Pact countries – apart from Poland, which stayed with the domestically produced PZL TS-11 Iskra (Spark) – as their standard training jet.
In the following years, the L-39 won more and more customers around the world. The aeroplane served as a trainer and light-attack aircraft in many Asian and African countries, as well as in Cuba and Nicaragua. After the fall of the Eastern Bloc, surplus L-39s became popular and affordable jets for private operators worldwide.
In its light-attack variant, the Albatros recorded a long and quite impressive combat history. The aircraft was used in several local conflicts, such as the War in Abkhazia, the Afghan Civil War, the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Chadian-Libyan conflict, the First Chechen War and the Syrian Civil War.
The L-39 was also a popular choice among civilian and military aerobatic teams. A few examples include Biele Albatrosy (1991–2004), the Baltic Bees (current), the Black Diamond Jet Team (2010–2015), the Breitling Jet Team (2003–2019), the Patriots Jet Team (current), and Пилотажная группа РУСЬ / Aerobatic Team RUSS (current).
The serial production of the Albatros lasted until 1996, with approximately 2,800–2,900 aircraft built. The most popular variants of the aircraft included the L-39C (standing for Cvičná / Training), the L-39ZO (Zahraniční Obchod / Foreign Trade – the initial armed version for export customers), and the L-39ZA (an upgraded light-attack variant of the ZO). In addition, there were a few local modifications and special versions, such as a target-tug variant.
The Czechoslovak – and later the Czech – Air Force used three variants of the aircraft, mostly the C and ZA versions, as well as a few examples of the L-39V (Vlečná / Tug) target tugs.
The use of L-39C jets for pilot training in Pardubice officially began in 1995, when the 34th Air Force Base was established there. In 2004, this duty was taken over by CLV – a subsidiary of the state-owned LOM Praha company (Letecké opravny Malešice – Malešice Aviation Maintenance Plant).
Interestingly, the L-39Cs used for training in Pardubice were not the originally manufactured jets. A significant modification of these aircraft was carried out between 1999 and 2000, including the manufacture of new airframes, which were then equipped with already existing powerplants and avionics.
The Czech Air Force officially retired its last three examples of the L-39ZA aircraft in 2019. The farewell event took place at Čáslav Air Base during the open day held there in May of that year. Since then, the only Albatros jets in government-related service have been the L-39Cs operated by CLV.
However, it was clear that these training jets would reach the end of their service life by the end of the 2020s. Therefore, the purchase of new aircraft was necessary. After many twists and turns and much uncertainty, on 14 November 2022 LOM Praha and Aero Vodochody concluded a purchase contract for the delivery of four L-39NG Skyfox training jets (a short description of the Skyfox can be found in one of our articles from the Photo of the Week series – Aero L-39NG Skyfox).
In June 2025, during the 33rd edition of the Aviatická pouť air show, CLV Pardubice presented its new L-39 Skyfox to the general public for the first time. From then on, it was clear that the days of the L-39C’s operational service were numbered.
Centrum Leteckého Výcviku will say goodbye to its last three L-39C aircraft with two farewell flights over the Czech Republic. The training jets 0103, 0441 and 0444 will take off from Pardubice and, subject to weather conditions, will overfly several airfields in the country linked to the L-39’s operational service with the Czechoslovak, and then Czech Air Force.
The first flight, the so-called “Moravian branch”, will take place today, on 27 August 2026. The L-39s should take off from Pardubice at 15:30 local time, then fly over Jihlava, Náměšť nad Oslavou, Brno, Vyškov and Přerov – where a short, five-minute solo display over Bochoř airfield is scheduled for 16:01. The flight will then continue on to Olomouc and Česká Třebová, before returning to Pardubice at 16:30.
The second, “Czech branch”, will take place on 2 September 2026 in the morning. Its scheduled route includes Hradec Králové, Čáslav, Kolín, Vodochody and Prague-Kbely. In Prague, aircraft 0103 will leave the formation and, at 11:00, will land at Kbely Air Base. Then, this L-39C will be officially transferred to Vojenský historický ústav Praha (Military History Institute Prague – VHU) and will join its museum collection of aircraft.
