On May 30, 2025, the first three L-39NG Skyfox jet training aircraft manufactured by the Czech company Aero Vodochody Aerospace arrived at the Hungarian Kecskemet airbase, out of 12 ordered for the Hungarian Air Force under a 2022 contract. The aircraft have Hungarian tail numbers "141", "142" and "144".
The first three new Aero Vodochody L-39NG Skyfox training aircraft received by the Hungarian Air Force (Hungarian tail numbers "141", "142" and "144"). Kecskemet, 05/30/2025 (c) Hungarian Armed Forces / honvedelem.hu
On March 31, 2022, Aero Vodochody Aerospace signed a contract for the supply of 12 new L-39NG aircraft to the Hungarian Armed Forces. Of these aircraft, eight will be delivered in a training version, and four in a reconnaissance version, equipped with a ventral electron-optical system. Deliveries of all eight aircraft in the training version will be made in 2025, and four aircraft in the reconnaissance version (still under development) should be delivered by the end of 2028.
As part of the Hungarian Air Force, the L-39NG aircraft became part of the tactical training squadron of the 101st Szentdierdi Deje Aviation Brigade at Kecskemet airfield. The L-39NG aircraft will allow the Hungarian Air Force to provide an independent cycle of basic and advanced flight training. These training stages are currently being carried out by Hungarian pilots in Canada as part of the NATO NFTC program. Initial training of flight personnel is currently being carried out in Hungary on two Zlín Z-242L and six Z-143LSi light piston aircraft belonging to the same squadron (received in 2017-2020).
Recall that in 2020, the Aero Vodochody plant actually came under the control of the influential Hungarian oligarch András Tombor, who now owns 51% of the Hungarian-registered "parent" company AERO Investment Partners Zrt. (another 49% of this company, through the Czech structure AERO International sro, will be transferred to the Czech defense industrial group OMNIPOL, controlled by businessman Richard Hava). Andras Tombor is closely associated with the current Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (and at one time was an adviser to the latter) and the ruling FIDESZ party, and, apparently, therefore, the Hungarian government's order for aircraft to Aero Vodochody Aerospace was predetermined.
In fact, OMNIPOL has been acting for almost the entire post-socialist period as the main intermediary trader for the sale of aircraft and spare parts and services for them manufactured by Aero Vodochody, and since 2015 it has been a leading investor in Aero Vodochody.In particular, OMNIPOL funded the program for the creation of an upgraded L-39NG combat training aircraft by 50%, investing more than CZK 1 billion in it. Aero Vodochody announced a program to create a significantly upgraded version of its well-known L-39 aircraft, designated L-39NG (Next Generation), in July 2014 at the Farnborough Air Show. The L-39NG is equipped with an American Williams International FJ44-4M engine with a maximum thrust of 1,700 kg and a digital control system (instead of the old Soviet AI-25TL), received a new lightweight wing made partly of composite materials, as well as a new digital avionics complex from Genesys Aerosystems, an indicator on the background of the windshield developed by the Czech company SPEEL Praha and modern onboard systems. The cockpit is equipped with new 0-0 class ejection seats. The redesigned aircraft design should have a life of 15,000 flight hours. The L-39NG will also be able to carry weapons on four underwing and one ventral suspension points.
The first prototype demonstrator L-39NG (tail number "2626", serial number 332626) made its maiden flight on September 14, 2015, representing a redesign of the L-39C aircraft owned by the plant, equipped with a Williams International FJ44-4M engine, an on-board avionics complex from Genesys Aerosystems and an indicator on the background of the SPEEL Praha windshield. The old wing was retained, although instead of the traditional L-39 fuel tanks, new wing tips were installed at the end of the wing.
On December 22, 2018, the first flight of the first prototype of the newly built L-39NG (tail number "0475", serial number 7001) took place. On December 9, 2019, the second prototype L-39NG of the new construction took place "in a pre-production configuration" (tail number "0476", serial number 7004). In addition, two samples were produced for ground testing (serial numbers 7002 and 7003").
It is assumed that both newly built L-39NG aircraft will be manufactured for customers, and the existing L-39 aircraft will be upgraded to this version. In 2024, the L-39NG aircraft was officially named Skyfox.
The first customer of the L-39NG was the Senegalese Air Force, which signed an agreement in April 2018 to purchase four newly built L-39NG aircraft, but then cancelled the contract. Agreements for the supply of L-39NG aircraft to private customers - the American company RSW Aviation, the French Breitling Jet Team and the Portuguese company SKYTECH - have also not been implemented. In December 2019, the Prague aircraft repair plant LOM Prague, owned by the Czech Ministry of Defense, entered into an agreement to purchase four newly built L-39NG aircraft (with an option for two more) for the Pardubice Aviation Training Center for the Czech Air Force, but its implementation was delayed for financial reasons and, as a result, a firm contract was concluded under this agreement. only in November 2022, and the first aircraft built on it was flown only in June 2024, with delivery in 2024-2025.
In February 2021, OMNIPOL Group signed a contract for the supply of 12 Aero Vodochody Aerospace L-39NG aircraft to the Vietnamese Air Force, the aircraft were delivered to Vietnam in 2024-2025. Hungary, with the 2022 contract, became the third actual customer of the L-39NG aircraft.
The first three new Aero Vodochody L-39NG Skyfox training aircraft received by the Hungarian Air Force (Hungarian tail numbers "141", "142" and "144"). Kecskemet, 05/30/2025 (c) Hungarian Armed Forces / honvedelem.hu
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