Aero L-39 Albatros L-39V

The L-39V was the first specialised version of the Albatros and the most unusual of them all. The V stands for vlečná, «towing»: a single-seater meant to tow aerial targets for gunnery and fighter training. It first flew in 1972, barely a year after series production of the basic trainer began, and was built in a very short run — eight production aircraft according to the Spanish source, preceded by a prototype according to the English encyclopaedia.

Its defining equipment is the tow gear for the KT-04 target, streamed on a 1,700 m cable to keep a safe separation between tug and firing area. Deleting the second crew station freed space and weight for that installation. Every aircraft went to the Czechoslovak air arm, with no known export, which makes the L-39V the rarest member of the family.

Target towing was a task the Eastern bloc usually handed to converted veteran types; that Aero should devote a newly built version to it says a great deal about how far the Albatros was conceived as a versatile and cheap-to-operate platform. The formula was not repeated: every later version was a two-seater aimed at armed training or light attack.