List of Aero L-39 Albatros operators
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of countries and their air force units that have operated the Aero L-39 Albatros.
Military operators
Current
Abkhazia
- 4 L-39s as of December 2009
Afghanistan
- 1 unit Active in 2024.[1] The Afghan Air Force operated as many as 26 L-39Cs from 1977 through 2001, but only three of them survived in 2001. In December 2021, a report by Al Jazeera showed an Afghan L-39 undergoing an engine test at Kabul International Airport.[2]
Algeria
- 55 L-39s as of December 2020[3]
Armenia
- 10 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Angola
- 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Azerbaijan
- 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Belarus
- 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Bulgaria
- 1/12 Training Squadron operating 6 L-39ZA aircraft.[3]
Central African Republic
- 6 L-39s donated by Russia.[4]
Cuba
operating 26 L-39C aircraft in three squadrons:[3]
- UM 3710 Escuadrón de Intercepcion
- UM 1660 Escuela de Ensenanza de Vuelo Avanzada
- UM 4768 Escuadrón de Intercepcion
Egypt
- 1 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Equatorial Guinea
- 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Estonia
- 2 aircraft as of 2021. [5]
Ethiopia
- 10 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Georgia
- 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Kazakhstan
- 17 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Libya
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Mali
Mozambique
Nigeria
- 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Nicaragua
Russia
- 181 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Senegal
Slovakia
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- 4x L-39C
- 4x L-39ZA
- 7 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Tajikistan
- 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Tunisia
- 9 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Uganda
- 8 L-39ZA as of December 2020.[3]
Ukraine
- 47 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Uzbekistan
- 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Vietnam
- 25 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Yemen
- 28 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
Former
Bangladesh
- 8 L-39ZA acquired in late 1990s.[3] One was lost in a crash in 2012 killing a pilot.[10] Replaced by K-8W Karakorum.[11]
Cambodia
- Formerly operated 6 L-39C trainer aircraft
- Recently ordered 4 L-39NG trainer aircraft[12]
Chad
- Operated 11 L-39ZO aircraft.[citation needed]
Republic of the Congo
Czech Republic
- L-39C
- L-39ZA
- L-39V
- L-39MS
Czechoslovakia
- 33x L-39C
- 6x L-39MS
- 8x L-39V
- 30x L-39ZA
Two Czechoslovak AF L-39Vs were delivered to the East German Air Force.[6]
All Czechoslovak Air Force aircraft passed to successor states – Czech Republic and Slovakia.
East Germany
Ghana
- 2 L-39ZO
Hungary
- 20x L-39ZO
- Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary [6]
Ichkeria
Iraq
- 22x L-39C
- 59x L-39ZO
Kyrgyzstan
- 4x (24 in store) L-39C
Lithuania
- 1x L-39ZA
Romania
- 32x L-39ZA
South Sudan
Soviet Union
- 2080x L-39C
All Soviet Air Force aircraft passed to successor states: Azerbaijan, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Syria
- 55 L-39ZO and 44 L-39ZA bought from Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s.[15]
- 61 aircraft as of December 2020.[3]
The Syrian government of Al-Assad fell to rebels in late 2024, and the Syrian Arab Air Force was dismantled. It was re-established as Syrian Air Force, but the revolution, and the Israeli air strikes that followed it, wrecked havoc in the inventory of the Air Force. In late 2025, the World Air Forces publication by FlightGlobal, which tracks the aircraft inventories of world's air forces and publishes its counts annually, removed all Syrian Air Force's aircraft from their World Air Forces 2026 report. It is thus questionable if the Syrian Air Force has any flying aircraft in their inventory, and in particular, any L-39, as of December 2025.[16]
Thailand
- 37 L-30ZA/ART in commissioned from 1994 to 2021.[3]
Turkmenistan
- 2 aircraft.
Civil operators
Australia
A small number of L-39s are flown in Australia as jet flight experiences for paying public.
Austria
Canada
Northern Lights Aerobatics Team from Montreal used 2 L-39C in 2000, but ceased operating them and performing airshows after 2000.[19] The aircraft were registered and based in the US with Northern Lights USA of Lafayette, LA with 1 lost in crash in 2001.
France
A civilian aerobatic display team based in Dijon, France; operating seven L-39 Albatros jets in the colours of their sponsor, Breitling.
Babcock has acquired this fleet in the establishment of their international fighter pilot training academy.[20]
- TopGun Voltige
This company based in La Roche-sur-Yon operates 2 L-39 Albatros jets for touristic flights.[21]
New Zealand
Fighter Jets NZ operate 3 L-39 from Tauranga, NZ for jet flight experiences and also do airshow displays around the country.
Soviet Union
DOSAAF paramilitary organization, tasked with the training and preparation of reserves for the Soviet armed forces, operated unknown number of L-39.
United States
Hundreds of L-39s are finding new homes with private owners all over the world, especially in the United States.