Two manufacturers are currently competing for a huge order from the Austrian military: Italy’s Leonardo and Czech Republic’s Aero. Both offer successors to the Saab 105OE, Aero is in the race with their L-39NG, a further development of the proven “Albatros”. Production has already started and the aircraft of the first series has now flown its first flight – with a message to Austria.
The maiden flight of the first mass-produced L-39NG lasted approximately 40 minutes, during which the operation of the engine, aircraft systems, avionics, controllability and behavior of the aircraft were tested in all phases of flight – from aerobatic takeoff to landing. For the Czech manufacturer Aero, this is proof that they are ready for series production. And reason to address the Ministry of Defense in Vienna again:
Message to the military
“With the L-39NG ready for series production, an advanced jet trainer has become a reality that exactly meets those fighter pilot training requirements that modern air forces such as the Austrian are increasingly demanding for a reason: a safer training aircraft that will not overwhelm future fighter pilots, cost-effective , with added capability as a ground attack aircraft,” Aero told the Kronen Zeitung.
First demo flight of the prototype 2022:
Strategic cooperation with Austria
Leonardo’s Italian M-346FA, some of which were more powerful, had long been the clear favorite of the Austrian Air Force, but as the “Krone” reported, the Czechs recently came back into the game with extensive counter agreements: “The L-39NG as new fleet of the Austrian Air Force would also mean a strategic cooperation with numerous Austrian high-tech companies, with interesting economic impulses for the future of Austrian companies – the L-39NG would not only be Czech, but also Austrian,” the company said.
“Austrian industrial and high-tech companies are currently involved in the development, production and supply chain of the L-39NG program. For example, Aero concluded a cooperation agreement with the Austrian company Airborne Technologies last year. Further negotiations on cooperation with Austrian partners are underway”, added Filip Kulštrunk, Aero’s Executive Vice President and CCO.
Back to the solution with two fleets
Both the M-346FA and L-39NG fly in the subsonic range and are generally less powerful than the Eurofighters, but they are significantly cheaper to operate and purchase. Of the two applicants, the M346FA is considered superior, while the L-39NG is cheaper. A maximum of 18 pieces are planned. Critics of this two-fleet solution complain that due to a lack of synergies, parallel operation ends up being more expensive than a single-fleet Eurofighter solution with training on jet trainers abroad.
Jets return to Linz
According to army officials, Linz-Hörsching is the only possible location for the new subsonic jets: from a purely political point of view, it would hardly be possible to handle the entire jet operations of the armed forces in Zeltweg due to the noise development. where the Eurofighters already leave the Murtal for their training and training camps launch surveillance flights daily. And historically, the Saab 105OE fleet was based in Hörsching.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
