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Vietnam has accepted its first batch of Aero Vodochody L-39NG jet trainers following their delivery into the Southeast Asian country.
Aero Vodochody test pilots have completed the first site acceptance tests of the delivered, reassembled aircraft after they were shipped into Vietnam, the manufacturer announced Aug. 16. The purpose of the site acceptance test is to ensure that the aircraft is correctly configured and ready for operation.
“I am extremely pleased that the final assembly and flight of the six L-39NGs went well, and our aircraft can now fully serve as a training platform for fighter pilots as well as a tactical platform fulfilling a wide range of missions for the Vietnamese Air Force,” says Viktor Sotona, chairman and CEO of Aero Vodochody.
The company has not said where in Vietnam the aircraft were delivered to or when.
Omnipol, Aero Vodochody’s owner, said the Vietnam program is “proceeding according to the agreed schedule, and both parties are cooperating intensively on it.”
As well as the aircraft, Vietnam is receiving training systems including simulators and manuals for pilots and mechanics.
Vietnam ordered 12 L-39NGs in February 2021. The aircraft are expected to replace the country’s existing fleet of L-39C Albatros aircraft used for basic training and will supplement newly supplied Russian-made Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced jet trainers.
The L-39NG updates the popular, Cold War-era Albatros trainer by replacing the original Ukrainian engine with a U.S.-made Williams FJ44 turbofan. The L-39NG also introduces new avionics while the new design removes the Albatros’ distinctive wingtip fuel tanks and replaces them with a wet wing. The aircraft comes in two configurations for training according to Western and Eastern requirements; Vietnam’s L-39NGs are configured to support training for Vietnam’s Russian-made front-line combat aircraft.
The Hungarian Air Force also has ordered L-39NGs, while the Czech Republic’s LOM Praha organization is buying the aircraft to support the training of Czech Air Force pilots.
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