Current military operators
Current civilian operators
Former operators
This is a list of countries and their air force units that have operated the Aero L-39 Albatros .
Military operators
Current
Abkhazia
Abkhazian Air Force 4 L-39s as of December 2009
Algeria
Algerian Air Force 55 L-39s as of December 2020[1]
Armenia
Armenian Air Force 6 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Angola
National Air Force of Angola 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Air Force 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Bangladesh
Bangladesh Air Force Operating 7 L-39ZA out of 8 L-39ZA acquired in late 1990s.[1] One was lost in a crash in 2012 killing a pilot.[2]
Belarus
Belarus Air Force 12 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Bulgaria
Aero L-39 Albatros of the Bulgarian Air Force Bulgarian Air Force 1/12 Training Squadron operating 6 L-39ZA aircraft.[1]
Central African Republic
Central African Republic Air Force 6 L-39s donated by Russia.[3]
Cuba
Cuban Air Force operating 26 L-39C aircraft in three squadrons:[1]
UM 3710 Escuadrón de Intercepcion
UM 1660 Escuela de Ensenanza de Vuelo Avanzada
UM 4768 Escuadrón de Intercepcion
Egypt
Egyptian Air Force 1 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Equatorial Guinea
Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Estonia
An Estonian L-39 in flight Estonian Air Force 1 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Ethiopia
Ethiopian Air Force 10 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Georgia
Georgian Air Force 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Air Force 17 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Libya
Aero L-39 Albatros working in Libyan Air Force. Libyan Air Force 181x L-39ZO acquired during Gadaffi's era.
Ten former Libyan L-39ZO delivered to Egypt.[4]
10 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Mali
Malian Air Force At least four L-39Cs delivered by Russia in August 2022.[5] [6]
Mozambique
Mozambique Air Force One L-39ZO acquired from Romania in 2013.[7] [1]
Nigeria
Nigerian Aero L-39. Nigerian Air Force 8 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Nicaragua
Nicaraguan Air Forces
Russia
Russian Air Force 181 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Senegal
Senegalese Air Force
Slovakia
A Slovak L-39ZA (1701) in Biele Albatrosy colors at Radom Air Show 2005 Slovak Air Force 4x L-39C
4x L-39ZA
7 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Syria
Syrian Air Force 55 L-39ZO and 44 L-39ZA bought from Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s.[8]
61 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Tajikistan
Tajik Air Force 4 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Tunisia
Tunisia Air Force 9 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Uganda
Ugandan Air Force 8 L-39ZA as of December 2020.[1]
Ukraine
A Ukrainian L-39 Ukrainian Air Force 47 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Air Force 2 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Vietnam
Vietnamese Air Force 25 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Yemen
Yemen Air Force 28 aircraft as of December 2020.[1]
Former
Afghanistan
Afghan National Air Corps L-39 Albatross jets take off in a formation practice for the aerial parade in the upcoming Afghan National Day in Kabul, April 12, 2007. Afghan Air Force
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 .[9]
Cambodia
Royal Cambodian Air Force Formerly operated 6 L-39C trainer aircraft
Recently ordered 4 L-39NG trainer aircraft[10]
Chad
Military of Chad
Republic of the Congo
Congolese Air Force
Czech Republic
a Czech Aero L-39 Czech Air Force
L-39C
L-39ZA
L-39V
L-39MS
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakian Air Force
33x L-39C
6x L-39MS
8x L-39V
30x L-39ZA Two Czechoslovakian AF L-39Vs were delivered to the East German Air Force.[4]
All Czechoslovakian Air Force aircraft passed to successor states – Czech Republic and Slovakia .
East Germany
East German Air Force
52x L-39ZO
2x L-39V
Two former Czechoslovak L-39Vs delivered to the East German Air Force.[4]
Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary.[4]
Ghana
Ghana Air Force
Hungary
Hungarian Aero L-39 Albatros Hungarian Air Force
20x L-39ZO
Twenty former East German L-39ZO delivered to Hungary [4]
Iraq
Iraqi Air Force
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Air Force
Lithuania
Lithuania Aero L-39 Albatros. Lithuanian Air Force
Romania
Romanian Air Force
South Sudan
South Sudan Air Force Unknown number of L-39 jets with logistical and maintenance support from Uganda [11]
Soviet Union
DOSAAF
Soviet Air Force
All Soviet Air Force aircraft passed to successor states: Azerbaijan ,the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Lithuania , Russia , Ukraine and Uzbekistan .
Thailand
A Royal Thai Air Force L-39ZA/ART Albatros. Royal Thai Air Force 37 L-30ZA/ART in commissioned from 1994 to 2021. [1]
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan Air Force
Civil operators
Australia
A small number of L-39s are flown in Australia as jet flight experiences for paying public.
Austria
This section is empty. You can help by
adding to it . (February 2022)
[12]
Canada
International Test Pilots School [13] Northern Lights Aerobatics Team from Montreal used 2 L-39C in 2000, but ceased operating them and performing airshows after 2000.[14] The aircraft were registered and based in the US with Northern Lights USA of Lafayette, LA with 1 lost in crash in 2001.
France
Breitling Jet Team
A civilian aerobatic display team based in Dijon, France ; operating seven L-39 Albatros jets in the colours of their sponsor, Breitling .
New Zealand
Fighter Jets NZ operate 2 L-39 from Tauranga, NZ for jet flight experiences and also do airshow displays around the country.
Soviet Union
DOSAAF
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.