Aero Vodochody conducts L-39NG basic weapons tests
The L-39NG was primarily designed as an advanced jet trainer, but it can also perform light combat, close air support, COIN and reconnaissance missions. (Photo: Aero Vodochody)
The next-generation L-39 successfully passed weapons tests with missiles and bombs that included three different phases.
Aero Vodochody has successfully conducted primary weapons testing with its L-39NG jet during a series of trials.
The tests were divided into three phases and began on 13 February with the first part to determine the effect of missile firing on engine performance.
This was followed by emergency load drops, with the third phase consisting of bombing and firing missiles for accuracy. All weapons tests met expectations, Aero said.
More specifically, engineers and pilots tested the firing of S-5 missiles from UB-16 missile blocks and their effect on engine operation.
They conducted tests of emergency bomb drops, overhead fuel tanks and missile blocks. During the tests, the pilots fired a total of 230 S-5 missiles and dropped 42 P-50-75 and 24 OFAB-100-120 bombs.
‘The results of the tests were successful. It was a set of tests of the basic weapons that the L-39NG can use. However, we are considering an additional range of weapons according to specific customer requirements,’ Aero’s executive VP and CDO Petr Jinda said.
‘The aircraft can carry both Eastern and Western armament and can equally have Western and Eastern avionics,’ he continued.
The L-39NG was primarily designed as an advanced jet trainer, but can also perform light combat, close air support, COIN and reconnaissance missions.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![South Korea considers cancellation of second AH-64E Apache helicopter purchase]()
South Korea considers cancellation of second AH-64E Apache helicopter purchase
The likely scrapping of Boeing’s Apache helicopter comes after a huge budget cut approved by the South Korean National Assembly. The helicopter procurement had already been reconsidered by the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier in the year.
-
![UK to receive 27 additional F-35 aircraft by end of decade]()
UK to receive 27 additional F-35 aircraft by end of decade
The number of aircraft was stated by UK Defence Secretary John Healey during a Defence Committee hearing. It follows on from the UK’s decision to purchase F-35A aircraft to boost its nuclear deterrence, although hurdles and questions about the order still remain.
-
![What lessons could Europe learn from air power use in Ukraine?]()
What lessons could Europe learn from air power use in Ukraine?
The use of air power by both sides in the ongoing conflict has been extensively focused on, influencing policy and procurement around the world. But are the lessons from the front line universally applicable, or should other nations be planning for very different scenarios?
