Aviation Classics 28 Aero L-39 Albatros preview

THE FULL STORY OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRA RAINERS A IN AVIATION HISTORY

ISSUE

28

www.aviationclassics.co.uk

AERO L-39 ALBATROS

The L-39 is born

ARMED AND ADVANCED

Developing the breed

DIAMONDS IN THE SKY KYY L-39 Aerobatic teams

A TRA RAINER A FOR THE WORLD The L-39 in global air forces

£7.99

THE FIRST TURBOFAN TRA RAINER A

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

ISBN: 978-1-909128-56-9

and family

L-39NG NEXT GENERATION JET TRAINER The combination of the legendary L-39 Albatros advantages and the advanced aircraft technology in the new jet trainer aircraft NEW COCKPIT SYSTEM

EXCELLENT OPERATION SUPPORT

POWERFUL PROPULSION

MODERN AVIONICS MODERNIZED AIRFRAME

HIGH PERFORMANCE

SYSTEMS UPGRADE

L-39: • Excellent maneuverability

• Easy maintenance • Extreme climatic conditions adaptability • Low operating costs

5 000 000 flight hours 3 000 aircraft 45 military operators More about the aircraft at www.l-39ng.cz

AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s.

Czech aircraft manufacturer with tradition since 1919 U Letiště 374, Odolena Voda, 250 70, Czech Republic tel.: +420 255 763 135, e-mail: military@aero.cz, www.aero.cz

FJ44-4M TURBOFAN ENGINE

ABOVE: A fine shot of the interior of the front cockpit of one of Aero’s own L-39C.1s, unusual in as much as it has been fitted with a Head Up Display for evaluation purposes. There have been many modifications and additions to the equipment and capabilities of this world-beating jet trainer over the years. Jakub Fojtík

Contents 006 6

The Shark from Prague

008 Craftsmansship in

Engineeringg

062 2

A Trainer for the World

094 4 Affordable Aggressorr 098 8

The Power to Train

102 2

In the Cockpit

040 The First Tu urbofan Trainer

106 6

Diamonds in the Sky

044 Armed and Advanced

112

Inside the L-39

118

The Future of Militaryy Traainingg

126

Survivors

030

050

The Ubiquittous Dolphin

Fourth Geneeration Fighter Traaineer

054 Modernisation

ABOVE: Elegant lines in elegant colours. By 2013, the 609th Air Base at Balkhash operated 22 L-39Cs for the Kazakh Air Force, six of them having being used to form the Sunkar or Falcon aerobatic team in 2010. Vladimir Pereverzev 004

IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

Editor:

Tim Callaway editor@aviationclassics.co.uk Dan Savage Jaroslav Bulánek, Jaromír Bým, Tomáš Cícha, Jan Czvalinga, Keith Draycott, František Federer, Jakub Fojtík, Pierre Gaillard, David Jahoda, Michal Kaprálek, Jan Kouba, Pavel Kucˇera, Petr Kudrna, Vladimir Kvarda, Jaromír Lang, Jirí Linka, Martin Mamula, Vladimir Pereverzev, Constance Redgrave, Petr Rˇehorˇ, Miro Schutzner, Miloš Trnobranský Tomáš Cícha, Jakub Fojtík, Pavel Kucˇera and Petr Rˇehorˇ

Publisher: Contributors:

With special thanks to: Design: Reprographics:

atg-media.com Jonathan Schofield and Paul Fincham

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Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk Stuart Yule syule@mortons.co.uk

Subscription manager: Circulation manager: Marketing manager: Publishing director: Commercial director:

Paul Deacon Steve O’Hara Charlotte Park Dan Savage Nigel Hole

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ISBN No 978-1-909128-56-9

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The Aero L-39 Albatros and family 005

Aero and the L-39

The Shark from Prague

T

his has been a fascinating and extraordinary story to tell, all the more remarkable because of the history of the Czech Republic. The fact that Aero Vodochody is one of the oldest contiguous aircraft manufacturers in Europe was no surprise, but what was is how little I really knew about them. What has become clear in the course of researching and writing this issue is that while Czech industry has been rightly famed for engineering excellence since the 19th century, the aircraft that Aero produced over the last 96 years are the very embodiment of that reputation.

What makes their story so fascinating is the remarkable people involved, beginning in 1919 with the first director, Jan Kourˇil, and first designer, Antonín Vlasák, who were responsible for the Aero Ae-01 and the company’s first success.

When Dr Vladimír Kabesˇ took over in 1921, he brought the talented but explosive Antonín Husník in as co-chief designer.

Husník wrote the business philosophies that were to continue Aero’s success, keeping them solvent despite the global depression which closed many other aircraft companies. The enlightened social policies they introduced meant Aero did not suffer a single strike, evidence of the respect in which the workforce was held by the company. Aero’s reputation as a great employer continues to this day, as fine an achievement as the aircraft it produces.

The German invasion in 1939 and the Communist Party takeover in 1948 saw Aero forced to produce other companies’ aircraft as an occupied and then state owned design bureau. However, that creative spark, that individual flair that embodied Aero’s aircraft refused to be extinguished.

In 1947 Aero produced the elegant Ae-45, then in the mid-1950s developed the first of the most successful family of jet trainers in aviation history, the L-29 Delfin. The L-29’s later variants were developed by Jan Vlcˇ ek, who in 1964 also led the design of the remarkable L-39 Albatros.

The elegant little shark of a trainer is still in service all over the world and is about to return to production in a new and highly capable guise. The Aero L-39NG captures the spirit that has epitomized the history of Aero, it is a bold and innovative response to current military training needs, yet it is soundly based on proven and reliable engineering.

Maximum effectiveness for minimum risk could almost be the motto of Aero throughout its history, a philosophy which has produced what I believe will be the future of military training for countries around the world. The L-39NG is the most affordable, adaptable and cost effective trainer in the market today and represents a long and bright future for this reputable manufacturer and its partners.

As I said earlier, it is the people behind the company that make Aero so special. This is still true today as I discovered when I was fortunate enough to meet them at the Farnborough Air Show then spend a week at the Vodochody complex. From the CEO, Ladislav Sˇ imek, to the ladies and gentlemen I met working in the assembly buildings, I received a warm and open welcome, so telling the story of this company has become a great personal pleasure.

There are also many people to thank for their time and patience in carefully explaining the past and future of the company and its aircraft. Petr Kudrna, Martin Mamula, Michal Kaprálek, Milosˇ Trnobranský and Jaromir Lang are all busy directors, heads of departments or senior managers, yet all gave me time to talk in detail about their roles and responsibilities.

The test pilots Miroslav Schützner, Vladimir Kvarda and David Jahoda talked passionately about their flying experiences, enough to fill a book on their own! Aside from his leading role in analytics at Aero, Pavel Kucˇ era is a historian after my own heart, dedicated to accuracy and unbelievably generous with his time and knowledge. Much of this issue was extrapolated from his history of the company, and I cannot thank him enough.

Likewise, the irrepressible Jakub Fojtík is not only the head of the business department in D&MRO, but the author of many books and encyclopaedias on aviation. Again, he is the generous source of much of the information and many photographs contained in these pages. Finally, ˇ ehorˇ, the director of strategy, and Tomásˇ Cícha, the my sincerest thanks have to go to Petr R marketing specialist, who not only organised my entire visit, but shared their deep enthusiasm and ideas about the company and this publication.

This issue is a true team effort, and if you will forgive me mangling your incredibly complicated language, deˇkuji ti, moji prˇátelé!

All best, Tim

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

ABOVE: Spencer Trickett’s inimitable view of the L-39 captures the slick yet pugnacious lines of the L-39 to perfection, in this case an East German Air Force L-39V target tug. Spencer Trickett BELOW: The long nose and the raised rear cockpit of the L-39 gives the aircraft a slender, slippery look, fast and agile like a shark. Jakub Fojtík

The ubiquitous I

Dolphin The L-29 – Aero’s first jet trainer

By the mid-1950s military training aircraft were predominantly piston engined, yet the air forces of the world were largely equipped or steadily re-equipping with jet aircraft. It became apparent that an efficient jet powered trainer was both a priority and a necessity, one Aero was ideally placed to fill.

ABOVE: The Letov XLA-54, very similar to the Avia XLE-10, both being intended to replace the Arado Ar 96 in service. Editor’s collection 030

IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

n July 1953, the Czechoslovak aircraft industry had changed in organisation, capacity and make up, almost beyond recognition to its prewar form.

The Motorlet factory, formerly Walter Aero Engines, at Jinonice in Prague, was mass producing jet engines and both the Letov plant at Letnˇ any and the brand new Aero factory at Vodochody were building MiG-15s, Let supplying sub assemblies and Aero mating these with its own parts on its final assembly line.

Production of these machines taught a number of Czech companies a great deal about the complex systems and very high standards of engineering and finishing that such aircraft and engines require, giving the industry tremendous experience, a great advantage in the early evolution of jet propulsion.

For military operators, these aircraft also brought with them a new set of operational problems, one of which was in the training of pilots. At the time, pilots began flying simple piston engined aircraft as had always been the case, this basic flying stage eliminating those students who lacked the aptitude for flight.

From here, more complex aircraft would be used for advanced training, many of these being powerful piston engined tailwheel aircraft similar to those that had been used in the Second World War, such as the T-6 in the US, Balliol in the UK and Yak-11 in the Soviet Union, the latter also being built under licence by Let in Czechoslovakia. Then, those students with the aptitude for fighters would begin training on the few two seat jet aircraft that existed at the time, all of which were converted fighters such as the T-33, the Meteor T Mk.7 and the MiG-15UTI. That last transition was the problem, moving from tailwheel piston aircraft to nosewheel jet types was a tremendous jump requiring additional hours of flying just to introduce the basic handling of the new aircraft. The tailwheel piston trainers required a very different set of flying skills to those needed by the jets and those tailwheel skills would never be needed by the students again, making them an anachronism in a modern air force, and a costly one at that, in terms of both time and money.

It was quickly realised that what was needed was a simple, reliable jet trainer, one that was cheap to operate and maintain, to replace the more advanced piston engined trainers. If this new trainer could also carry out more advanced tasks, such as weapons training and other military requirements, then so much the better

The first turbofan trainer Designing the Aero L-39 Albatros

Aero’s first venture into designing military jet trainers had been an unqualified success, but the L-29 Delphin had a number of limitations regarding more advanced training, particularly in terms of performance. By 1963, even as the L-29 was in mass production, the Aero design team were considering how to solve these, and a legend was about to be born.

W

hen the Aero L-29 Delfin had been designed the prime requirement behind it had been to fill the role of basic trainer and introduce students to handling jet aircraft cheaply and reliably.

The simple, low thrust M-701 engine and easy to maintain straight-winged airframe design lent themselves extremely well to this role, giving the L-29 the kind of measured and forgiving handling that first time jet students required.

The Delfin’s performance was sufficient to enable even intermediate level and weapons training to be carried out, but it lacked the

power to be able to perform advanced tasks.

This meant that an intermediate trainer was still required between the L-29 and front line aircraft to fill the advanced training gap, particularly with the introduction of such high performance aircraft as the MiG-21.

It must be said that the solution the Aero design team came up with was of such quality and capability that it would fulfil all the training needs, from basic to advanced, and eventually fully replace the L-29 in service around the world.

Towards the end of 1963, the Aero development team under Jan Vlcˇek was

ABOVE: Jan Vlcˇek, the chief designer at Aero and the leader of the team behind the L-39 during the 1960s and 1970s. Pavel Kuc ˇera resident at Letnˇany alongside the Výzkumný a zkusˇební letecký ústav, VZLÚ or Aeronautical Research and Test Institute. Here, Vlcˇek and the chief of preliminary design, Karel Dlouhý, began examining the possible design requirements of an aircraft that would make a good advance jet trainer.

Prime among their considerations were the needs of the Soviet Air Force, for without an order from their largest customer the aircraft was unlikely to advance beyond the drawing board. Their thinking on this subject coalesced in February 1964 when the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defence issued a preliminary technical specification aimed at developing a new trainer aircraft.

With this official interest work began in earnest. The production of military jet trainers was already the major programme within the Czech aviation industry and this new project would ensure that was true for many years to come.

BELOW: The full size engineering mockup of the L-39 that was used to check the layout and fit of various components during the detail design process.Pavel Kuc ˇera

040

IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

ABOVE: The L-39 production line at Aero Vodochody in full swing.

Pavel Kucˇera

Armed and advanced The L-39 developments Even while the L-39 trainer was being designed, the development of advanced versions for other roles was being discussed. These discussions would become reality in response to customer demand and would lead to a range of models capable of operating in such diverse roles as ground-attack and target tug.

T

he new developments of the L-39 led to one change for the aircraft already in service, the designation changed to L-39C, C standing for Cvicˇná or trainer.

Prior to this the aircraft had only ever been referred to as the L-39.

As L-39 production increased at Vodochody, a number of support systems were developed to aid training on the new type, including the TL-39 flight simulator, the NKTL-39 ejection seat procedures trainer and the KL-39 mobile ground diagnostic system, these eventually being supplied to customers worldwide. The first

BELOW: Czechoslovakian Air Force Aero L-39Cs at Kosice in 1979. Pavel Kucˇera

044

IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

request for a modified version of the L-39 aircraft came about through the need for a new target towing aircraft from the Czechoslovak Air Force.

L-39V

In 1972, the eighth prototype of the L-39 emerged modified to carry a ram air turbine

Fourth generation fighter trainer Developing the L-39MS and L-59 Super Albatros The advent of the fourth generation of fighters with their glass cockpit technology, fly by wire control systems and digital engine management systems required a trainer that could ready the student pilot for the advances he would find when he progressed to such aircraft as the MiG-29, Su-27 and F-16.

B

y the middle of the 1970s, prototypes of fourth generation fighter aircraft were flying in countries all over the world. The end of the decade would see a number in service, most notably the F-15 and F-16 in the US, followed only a few years later by their equivalents in the Soviet Union, the Su-27 and MiG-29.

All these aircraft were extremely agile, had advanced management systems and

avionics, the information from which was conveyed to the pilot on Head Up Displays (HUDs) and Multi Function Displays (MFDs) in the cockpit. The age of the ‘glass cockpit’ had arrived and provided pilots with all the performance, tactical, mission and threat information they needed in a modern electronic warfare environment.

Coupled to this, most of the new generation of fighters had fly by wire control systems

BELOW: As part of the flight tests for the Ivchenko-Progress DV-2, an L-39MS fuselage fitted with the engine was suspended in the bomb bay of a Tupolev Tu-16 flying laboratory from the Russian LII. Pavel Kuc ˇera

050

IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

and advanced aerodynamics which meant flying them was a very different experience to flying those aircraft they replaced. Aero was quick to recognise that the gap between the existing trainer aircraft and the front line they were supposed to be preparing pilots for was growing again, so the L-39MS programme was begun in order curb this trend and produce a trainer that would allow students to make the transition to the new combat aircraft with relative ease.

The Soviet Air Force was also interested in an improved trainer, citing increased power and performance along with such features as a computerised integrated weapons delivery and navigation system among its prime requirements for such an aircraft.

The need for a more powerful engine was addressed in a bi-lateral agreement between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia to develop and produce a new turbofan of superior performance to the existing AI-25 design.

A trainer for the world

The global customers of the L-39 family

The list of customers for the L-39 and its developments is a fascinating and complex one, spanning every continent on earth. Aside from those countries that purchased the aircraft directly from Aero, there have also been countries that began operating the aircraft under different circumstances, especially in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

ABKHAZ AZIA Z

Formerly part of Georgia, in the summer of 1992 the regional government of Abkhazia declared independence, in response to which Georgia despatched government troops.

Fighting was to continue for the next year, Abkhazia being supported by a number of factions within the Caucasus region, including Chechnya, which donated four L-39C.1s to Abkhazia, disassembling them and bringing them into the country by road.

By the time the fighting ended in late 1993, the L-39s had flown over 400 hours, mostly on reconnaissance and patrol sorties. The aircraft were occasionally used in groundattack missions near the cities of Sukhumi and Abkhazian Ocˇ amcˇira armed with 110lb (50kg) bombs and 57mm S-5 unguided rockets.

The L-39s retained their original Soviet markings until two years after the fighting

ended, when they were repainted with Abkhazian Air Force insignia. Russia supplied the country with two more L-39C.1s as part of its support for and recognition of Abkhazia as an independent state.

At least two of the L-39s in Abkhazian service have been locally modified to carry the Vympel R-60 infrared guided air-to-air missile and in 2008 it was reported that an L-39 had shot down a Georgian Hermes 450 reconnaissance UAV using S-5 rockets.

Today, the two surviving Abkhazian L-39s are based near the capital city of Sukhumi.

AFGHANISTAN

The Soviet Union sought to strengthen ties with Afghanistan and build up

BELOW: Chechnya donated four L-39C.1s to Abkhazia, bringing them into the country by road. via Jakub Fojtík

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

the Afghani Air Force, making it the third export customer for Aero and the L-39. In 1976, 12 L-39C.4s were ordered to supply the Soviet 393 Training Regiment which was to train not only Afghani but also Uzbeki and Turkmenistani pilots of the Soviet Air Force.

The 12 aircraft undertook a 3133 mile (5042km) delivery flight in company with an Antonov An-24 transport between September 23 and October 2, 1977, arriving in Mazari Sharif after 12 hours and 15 minutes flight time. The first group of students completed their training in August 1979, eventually going on to fly the MiG-17 prior to the final type, the MiG-21.

Prior to this, the communist coup d’etat in April 1978 meant the L-39s were pulled off training and used in ground-attack missions against Mujahedin forces using S-5 rockets and FAB-100 bombs. The aircraft were often flown by Soviet crews, one of the common

Advanced aggressor The story of Draken International and the L-39 and L-159

If you had to sum up Draken International in one word it would be this: Pedigree. This applies to the services it provides, the aircraft it operates and the remarkable people that make up this company, which boasts a larger fleet of military jets than many air forces.

D

raken International was founded in Florida in 2012 by Jared Issacman, a highly successful entrepreneur and a man of extraordinary focus.

In 1999, aged only 16, Issacman founded United Bank Card Inc, now known as Harbortouch, the merchant point of sale, transaction processing and credit card payment service provider.

094

This company is now a giant of the banking industry through its innovative hardware and software, including its highly successful touch screen point of sale systems that allow a customer merchant to run their entire business. By 2005, the success of his rapidly growing company allowed him to pursue another passion he had from an early age, aviation.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH AERO VODOCHODY – MANUFACTURER OF THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL JET TRAINERS

ABOVE: Jared Issacman, the man behind Harbortouch and the Black Diamond Jet Team, as well as CEO of Draken International.

Draken International ABOVE TOP: The distinctive L-39ZAs of the Black Diamond Jet Team was where the story of Draken International can be said to have begun. Black Diamond Jet Team Studying at the famous Embry Riddle Aeronautical University at Daytona Beach in Florida, he began amassing licences and ratings, buying a Cessna 182 Turbo Skylane initially followed by a Beech 58 Baron twin after just a few months. This led to a series of business jets of various models, including the Cessna Citation Mustang in which he attempted to break the round the world flight time record, missing it by just one hour after being held up in Japan and India.

In 2009, a second attempt in a Cessna Citation II achieved a new record of 61 hours, 51 minutes and 15 seconds to cover 22,893 miles, beating the old time by some 21 hours. His co-pilot on these record flights was another Embry Riddle graduate, Doug Demko, the pair spending no more than 20 minutes on the ground at each of their 14 refuelling stops.