Aero L-59 Super Albatros

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L-59 Super Albatros
The first prototype L-39MS designated X-21, is currently in the Odolena Voda Technological Institute as teaching material.
General information
Type	Military trainer aircraft COIN
Manufacturer	Aero Vodochody
Status	Out of production, in service
Primary users	Czech Air Force Egyptian Air Force Tunisian Air Force
Number built	80[1]
History
Manufactured	1986–1996
First flight	30 September 1986
Developed from	Aero L-39 Albatros
Variants	Aero L-159 Alca

The Aero L-59 Super Albatros (also known as the L-39MS Albatros) is a military jet trainer produced by the Czechoslovakian aerospace manufacturer Aero Vodochody. It was developed from the firm's earlier and highly successful L-39 Albatros series.

Being based on the L-39, it shares numerous similarities; in comparison to its predecessor, the L-59 featured a strengthened fuselage, longer nose, a vastly updated cockpit, advanced avionics, and a more powerful Lotarev DV-2 engine. First flown on 30 September 1986, it was procured by the Czech Air Force, Egyptian Air Force, and Tunisian Air Force; a total of 80 Super Albatros of three variants have been manufactured prior to the end of production. A further development would be produced as the Aero L-159 Alca, a Westernised attack-orientated model that shared its fuselage configuration with the L-59.

In service, the L-59 has been largely used for training purposes. It has also been deployed in front-line light combat roles, such as to patrol the border between Libya and Tunisia around the height of the First Libyan Civil War. Furthermore, Tunisian Air Force L-59s also performed aerial reconnaissance and ground-attack missions against Ansar al-Sharia and al-Qaeda-linked militants in 2014.