TSAMTO, August 11. The Ministry of Defense of Ghana intends to purchase six L-39NG jets from the Czech company Aero Vodochody under a contract that will be accompanied by a loan agreement.
On August 2, the Ministry of Defense of Ghana sent a request to the country's parliament for approval of the deal. The contract value is estimated at 111.393 million euros ($132 million). The agreement also includes the supply of spare parts, ground-based training systems, training and support services.
The proposal was submitted through the Minister of Defense Dominik Nitivul and submitted for consideration to the Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs of the House of Representatives.
The representative of Aero Vodochody, Teresa Vrublova, confirmed the fact of the company's negotiations with the Ministry of Defense of Ghana on the supply of L-39NG aircraft. However, she did not disclose the details of the program.
Aero Vodochody positions the L-39NG as a replacement for the widely used L-39 "Albatross" in the world. The L-39NG has a lighter airframe, is equipped with a more powerful and efficient FJ44-4M engine with the Williams International FADEC control system, wings with built-in fuel tanks, a cabin with modern avionics adapted for training pilots of 4th and 5th generation aircraft.
The aircraft uses simulation technologies to improve the effectiveness of training. The landing gear allows you to take off and land on unpaved runways. Thanks to a more efficient engine and a lighter airframe, the flight range without external fuel tanks has been increased by 800 km – up to 1900 km.
In addition, the L-39NG can be equipped with five suspension points (compared to two for the L-39) and carry up to 1200 kg of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons, including the AIM-9L Sidewinder UR. Two additional suspension points are placed on the wingtips.
The development of the L-39NG began in 2014. The aircraft was first demonstrated by Aero Vodochody in October 2018, and its flight tests were completed in 2020.
The company claims that the operating costs of the L-39NG are comparable to turboprop aircraft, and tests have shown that its service life will be up to 15,000 flight hours (three times more than that of the L-39).
In addition to Ghana, the Defense Ministry of Senegal announced its intention to purchase four L-39NG aircraft from African countries in 2018. Despite statements about several sales of the L-39NG, no aircraft has been delivered to customers at the moment.
