Aero L-159 ALCA

what is it?

The Aero L-159 ALCA is family of subsonic light combat aircraft and advanced trainer developed in the single-seat L-159A and two-seat L-159T versions, respectively, produced in the Czech Republic by Aero Vodochody. It was derived from the Aero L-59 Super Albatros trainer, which was in turn developed from the Aero L-39 Albatros series. Development of the L-159 started in 1993 as an initiative to replace various Soviet-era fighter aircraft with a modern Czech-built equivalent; it was decided against pursuing a clean-sheet design to avoid excessive costs.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · 9.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 936 km/htop speed
• range 1,570 kmwithout refuelling
• size 8,000 kgmax take-off weight
• built 72made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 29 years ago, in 1997.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 9.5 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,570 km: 9× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.5× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1997-08-04

introduced

2000

status

still flying

number built

72

role

aero l-39 albatros

makers

AERO Vodochody Aerospace

engines

1× Honeywell/ITEC F124-GA-100

crew

1

length

12.7 m

wingspan

9.5 m

height

4.9 m

max take-off weight

8,000 kg

top speed

936 km/h

range

1,570 km

ceiling

13,200 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family