Aero L-159 ALCA (усовершенствованный легкий боевой самолет)

Aero L-159 ALCA (Advanced Light Combat Aircraft).
The L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft or 'ALCA' was derived from the successful L-39 Albatross family of training jets by the Czech company AERO Vodochody (Aero). The L-159 'Albatross II' was developed for the Czech Air Force's requirement for a light combat aircraft in the early 1990s. The Czech Air Force was retiring its Soviet era fighters and needed a new aircraft to fill the lower end of the fighter mix to complement the high-end fighter force of new supersonic jets, which became the JAS 39C/D Gripen.


As its designation suggests, the L-159 was based on the L-59, a derivative of the L-39 jet trainer developed for export customers. The L-59 was a proven design which could be developed into an affordable light combat aircraft. The tandem canopy of the L-59 was retained, the back seat of the single-seat L-159A being occupied by an additional fuel tank. This enabled Aero to also offer a two-seat combat capable version, designated the L-159B, for training and operational conversion for potential export customers seeking a L-39 replacement.


72 single-seat L-159A were ordered for the Czech Air Force, but it was soon realised this many aircraft far exceeded the requirement, as the need for large inventories had disappeared after the Cold War. There have been no orders for the L-159B, nor have there been any customers for the surplus L-159As thus far. The Czech Air Force has ordered the conversion of a number of L-159A single-seat aircraft into L-159T1 two-seaters. There are also plans now to offer converted aircraft to foreign customers as opposed to new-built L-159Bs.
The L-159 is much more than just an upgraded training aircraft, this becomes very clear when looking at its avionics suite. The L-159A is fitted with the Italian FIAR Grifo-L multimode pulse Doppler radar. The Grifo-L was selected in favour of the US Westinghouse AN/APG-68, in particular for its low installation requirements and maintainability. Plus the Grifo radar series has a proven record in various F-5 and Mirage fighter upgrades. The radar has five air-to-air modes including track-while-scan with four air combat submodes, and is able to track up to eight targets simultaneously. For ground and maritime attack it has nine air-to-surface modes.


The single-seat L-159A and the two-seat L-159B feature the same tandem canopy. The L-159B was primarily intended as advanced and operational training, but has a secondary operational light combat capability. As mentioned earlier, the space of the back seat is occupied by a fuel tank in the single-seat L-159A, while in the L-159B it features a full cockpit including HUD repeater panel. Both versions are fitted with lightweight fully automatic VS-2C zero-zero ejection seats and a canopy jettison system.


The cockpit layout was based on the standard set by the F-16. The L-159 has the digital MIL-STD-1553 integrated avionics system with two multi-function colour displays and analogue instruments for backup. The cockpit is NVG-compatible and has NATO-compatible radios for secure communication. For navigation it uses a Honeywell GPS navigation system, with Ring Laser Gyro INS as backup. The Head-Up Display is the FV-3000 by Flight Vision, the same as is fitted to Pilatus PC-7 and PC-9 trainers. Like the F-16 and other modern combat aircraft, the L-159 provides the pilot with Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) functionality.


The L-159 is capable of carrying a wide range of NATO-compatible weapons. The short-range air-to-air AIM-9M Sidewinder missile has been integrated, future integration of air-to-air missiles will include the IRIS-T and ASRAAM and possibly the medium-range active radar guided AIM-120 AMRAAM. For the air-to-ground mission the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile has been integrated, laser guided bombs are also planned to be added to the L-159 arsenal. Unguided weapons include Mk.82 bombs, CBU-87 cluster bombs and LAU-5002 rocket launchers. Integration of more air-to-ground weapons is subject to the requirements of any prospective customers. The aircraft is also capable of carrying a podded 20mm cannon. Additionally, the Thales Vicon 18 series 601 reconnaissance pod has been evaluated on the L-159 to further expand the multi-role possibilities of the aircraft.
The electronic warfare system consists of the GEC Marconi (BAE Systems) Sky Guardian 200 radar warning receiver and the Vinten Vicon 78 series 455 chaff/flares countermeasures dispensing system.