Algeria is testing the L39 NG

It’s official: the L-39NG demonstrator arrived in Algeria today to undergo a testing campaign, with the potential purchase by the Algerian Air Force, which is currently seeking its future basic training jet.

The Algerian Air Force has been using the L-39 as a training aircraft for over twenty years. It has also been used for ground attack missions.

The L-39NG, manufactured by Aero Vodochody, is vastly different from its original version. It is equipped with a Williams FJ44-4M engine, which consumes less fuel, increasing the aircraft’s range by 200 km and extending its flight endurance to over four hours.

In addition to the engine, the aircraft features a full-glass cockpit and upgraded avionics, capable of accommodating jamming pods, targeting pods, and an optronic ball, making it a reconnaissance aircraft. It can also carry both NATO and Russian bombs and, with the pod, fire guided bombs.

If selected by the Algerian military, it will be a significant asset for training fighter and bomber pilots, and it will ease their transition to the YAK-130.

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