Aero L-29 part seven, miscellaneous users

As we've posted previously so many times, the Aero L-29 was used by many countries. Now it comes the turn for those miscellaneous and civilian users which we haven't counted for tags as they were too many of them.

• People's Republic of China: The People's Liberation Army Air Force bought 4 Aero L-29 in 1968. We found some photos of an Aero L-29 kept nowadays in the Beijing's Air Museum, however, as we couldn't find pics of the L-29 serving with the PLAAF, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Indonesia: The Indonesian Air Force bought some L-29s in the late 1960s to equip their trainer squadrons. They were in active service until the 2000s when they were retired and sent to the Indonesian Air Force Museum where they are being shown nowadays.
• Socialist Republic of Vietnam: It seems that the Vietnam People's Air Force had some L-29s in trainer service after the end of the Vietnam War. They were replaced with the more advanced L-39, and nowadays at least one L-29 is being shown at the Bach Mai Air Force Museum.
• United States: The US Navy got some modernized Aero L-29 during the late 2000s to use them in aggressor squadron maneouvres. They were seen on board the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) back in the year 2010.
• Argentina (untagged): The Argentinean Experimental Aircraft Association has one L-29. 
• Canada (untagged): The International Test Pilots School uses the Aero L-29.
• Norway (untagged): The Norwegian acrobatic team "Russian Warbirds of Norway" use the L-29 (with British civilian registrations).
• New Zealand (untagged): The acrobatic team Soviet Star, based in Christchurch, is equipped with the L-29.
• Slovakia (untagged): The Slovakian company Air Prestige has at least one Aero L-29.

We know there are many more civilian users, but we selected some of them.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_People%27s_Air_Force

5. https://forum.keypublishing.com/forum/modern-military-aviation/naval-aviation/103773-l-29-over-lhd-6

Aero L-29 part six, African and Middle-east users

As we've said previously, the Aero L-29 was exported to an enormous amount of countries. Here are some of them:

• Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA): Apparently, when the USSR invaded Afghanistan and created the DRA, they received a small amount of Aero L-29s together with some L-39s. As we couldn't find any graphical evidence of this, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• United Arab Republic/Egypt: The United Arab Republic's Air Force received the Aero L-29 in 1959. It was the main trainer of the Egyptian Air Force during the 1960s and it was used in active combat role during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 when some of them were armed with missile launchers and sent to attack Israeli ground forces. It served as their main trainer until the late 1970s when it was replaced by the more advanced Aero L-39.
• Iraq: It seems that some Aero L-29s were delivered to Iraq after the 1958 coup d'etat that overthrew the King of Iraq. The L-29s served with the 2nd Training Squadron at the Tikrit Air Force Base during the 1960s until they were phased out by the more advanced Aero L-39.
• Libya: Some sources claim that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Gaddafi's Libya) received some Aero L-29s to equip the air force. As we couldn't find graphical evidences or even text references, the drawing should be considered as speculative as most probably only the L-39 served in Libya and not the L-29.
• Mali: Just like in the Libyan case, it seems that the Malian Air Force bought some L-29s in the mid-1960s to equip their air force. Apparently they served during the 1960s, however as we couldn't find neither graphical nor text evidence, the drawing should be taken as speculative.
• Syria: It seems that the Syrian Air Force was supplied with some Aero L-29s in the very late 1950s and served through the 1960s. Most of them were either destroyed in the Six-Days war and those that survived, served until the 1970s when they were replaced by some other more modern type like the Aero L-39.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Afghanistan#Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Air_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_of_the_Libyan_Arab_Jamahiriya

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_Airforce

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Air_Force

Aero L-29, part five, African users.

The Aero L-29 saw very active service in the African continent, in the next countries, among another oner that we'll post later:

• Angola: There are six L-29s in active service nowadays with the Angolan Air Force. Those were delivered during the 1970s and used during the Angolan Civil War. After that, they were used as their main trainer, role which they keep performing nowadays in the 9th Training Squadron, based at Menongue Air Base, in Menongue, Angola.
• Ghana: Some ex-Nigerian L-29s were sold to Ghana in the late 1980s. They served from 1989 until the mid 2000s when they were replaced by the Aero L-39. 
• Guinea-Conakry: The newly founded Guinean Air Force bought some Aero L-29s from Czechoslovakia to equip their training squadron. They served for an unknown period of time when they were retired.
• Nigeria: The Aero L-29 reached Nigeria in 1967 and served through Nigerian Civil War where it was used extensively as an attack aircraft. After that, they were used as trainers until they were either retired or sold to other countries like Ghana.
• South Africa: The South African 'Tyco Dolphins' acrobatic team operated at least one Aero L-29 during the 1990s.
• Uganda: The Ugandan People's Defence Air Force has six L-29s in inventory nowadays. They were bought directly to Aero during the 1970s and were used during the Ugandan-Tanzanian war in 1978. They are kept in active service nowadays.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Air_Force_of_Angola

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_Air_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Air_Force

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_People%27s_Defence_Force#Ugandan_People's_Defence_Air_Force

Aero L-29, part four, various European users users

As we've previously said many time, the Aero L-29 was used by many Eastern bloc countries. The ones covered in this post are:

• Hungary: As it happened with almost every other Warsaw Pact country, Hungary bought a number of Aero L-29 in the mid 1960s (in 1965 to be more precise) to equip their training squadrons. They served until the fall of communism in 1989 together with other more advanced and modern types. 
• Romania: Being a Warsaw Pact member, the Romanian Air Force was supplied with a number of Aero L-29 to equip their training squadrons and flight schools. They served until the fall of communism in 1989 and shortly beyond, together with other types.
• Slovakia: After the creation of the Slovak Air Force in 1993, there were many L-29s left in the country which served as the main trainer for the newly created air force. It served alongside the more advanced Aero L-39 until the very late 1990s when it was phased out.
• USSR: The Soviet Air Force (VVS) was the main user of the Aero L-29. It served as its main trainer, together with other types until the dissolution of the USSR in 1992.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_Air_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Air_Forces

Aero L-29, part three, Czech and East German users

The Aero L-29 was a jet-powered aircraft which featured a straightforward and simple design and construction. It used a mid wing with a T-tail arrangement. Wings were unswept and air intakes were placed at the wing roots. Undercarriage was reinforced and able of withstand considerable amount of stress. It was relatively unpowered but even yet, it showed many favourable characteristics in its flight performance, like handling ease. The primary flying controls were manually operated and both flaps and airbrakes were actuated using hydraulic systems.
Most of the aircraft were powered by the Czech-designed Motorlet M-701 engine which delivered 1960lb of thrust (8,7kN). Between 1961 and 1968 approximately 9250 engines were completed and no less than 5000 of them were destinated to the L-29. The student and the instructor were placed in a tandem layout underneath separate canopies with the instructor's position placed in a slightly position to better oversee the student. Both posts were provided with ejection seats which were interlinked to fire in a synchronised manner to avoid any possibility of mid-air collision between the two ejector seats.
During the mid 1990s many were sold to private owners to use them in the private civil sector with many technical changes like the removal of military related equipment such as gunsights, the replacement of avionics with western-made ones and so on.
As we said previously, the Aero L-29 was the main trainer of the Czechoslovak Air Force since the 1960s and it was kept in active use, together with the Aero L-39, until the mid-1990s when it was withdrawn from service and many of them were sold to private owners to use them in aerial shows. The type also served with the East-German Luftwaffe from the mid-1960s until the late 1980s when it was withdrawn from service.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Air_Force

Aero L-29, Part two, Bulgarian and Czechoslovak users

Answering to a sizable requirement for a common jet-powered trainer that could be used by the nations of the Eastern-Block. Aero decided to bid with their own project with a view to suitably satisfying this demand.
On 5th April 1959 the first prototype, name XL-29, flew for the first time. It was selected to be the primary trainer for many Warsaw Pact countries so it was massly delivered from the 1960s onwards.
During the late 1950s the Soviet Air Force started to look for a jet-powered replacement for its piston engined trainers. Over time, the requirement study was widened towards an aircraft capable of overtaking many roles at the same time and could be easily adopted by many Eastern Block countries. Around the same time, Czechoslovakia had been also developing its own jet-trainer that would replace their propeller-powered trainers. To answer those demands, Aero developed a new aircraft, designed by engineers Z. Rublic and K. Tomas. Their work was centered upon a new design based on versatility that could carry the pilots through every stage of training programme as well as frontline duties.
The concept was to create an easy-to-build and easy to operate aircraft. Therefore both simplicity and ruggedness were stressed during development process, leading to the adoption of manual flight controls, large flaps and perforated airbrakes placed on the fuselage sides. Aerodinamically it was designed to be stable and docile. Thanks to that decission, the type was enviably safe. It was able to operate under austere situations such as take-off from grass, sand or unprepared fields. On 5th April 1959 the first prototype, named as XL-29 and powered by a Bristol-Siddeley Viper engine flew for the first time. The second prototype flew shortly thereafter and was powered by the Czech designed M701 engine, which was used subsequently in every L-29.
During 1961 a small pre-production batch was tested against the Polish PZL TS-11 Iskra and the Soviet Yakovlev Yak-30, which were the main rival submissions in the Warsaw Pact main trainer. Shortly after of the completion of the fly-offs, the L-29 was selected as a winner. According to some authors, that outcome caught by surprise to several observers. Regardless of the result, Poland chose to continue the development and production of the PZL TS-11 and the remaining Warsaw Pact and Eastern Block countries adopted the L-29 as their main trainer, under the agreements of the COMECON.
During April 1963 full-scale production of the L-29 started. A total of approximately 3600 exemplars were manufactured on an 11 year production run with some sub-variants being made like the L-29A Akrobat which was a single-seat aerobatics version, a dedicated reconnaissance variant, the L-29R with cameras installed in the rear cockpit position was developed but it was cancelled in 1965. A wide variety of optional armament could be installed in some models like a detacheable gun pod or a pod containing four missiles underneath the wings.
Regarding the drawing, the Aero L-29 was supplied to the Bulgarian Air Force during the 1960s and became its main trainer until the late 1990 when it was completely replaced. The L-39 commenced to replace the type during the late 1970s and for the late 1990s the L-29s was active only with the Aerobatic team.
It was also the main trainer of the Czechoslovak Air Force until it was replaced by the L-39. However, the type was kept in active service until the late 1990s. Apparently on 16th July 1975 a Czechoslovak Aero L-29 shot down a Polish civilian biplane trying to defect to the west.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Air_Force

Aero L-29, Part one, Ex-USSR users

The Aero L-29 is a Czechoslovak military jet trainer designed and manufactured by Aero Vodochody. It was the first Czechoslovak native jet aircraft to be designed and manufactured there and one of the main trainers in many air forces all around the world.
Today we're covering the ex-USSR users for this aircraft.

• Armenia: Apparently the Armenian Air Force took over some L-29s when the Soviets left in 1991. It seems that they served as improvesed attack aircraft during the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1991. Anyway, as we couldn't find any photo of the Armenian L-29, the drawing should be considered as a mere speculation.
• Azerbaijan: Like Armenians, some L-29s were left over to be taken over by the newly established Azerbaijani Air and Air Defence Force in 1991. They served together with the more advanced L-39 Albatross but were withdrawn shortly after.
• Chechen Republic of Ichkeria: When Chechen troops captured Grozny airport, some L-29 were captured and put into service with the newly created Chechen Air Force. Them all were destroyed by the Russian Air Force in an air raid on Grozny's Airport.
• Georgia: Just like the previous countries, Georgia took over some L-29s left by the Soviets. They were incorporated into the Georgian Air Force and four of them are still in active service nowadays.
• Luhansk People's Republic: Due to the need for armament that the LPR faced, they emptied many aircraft that were storaged in open air at the museum of Luhansk. They were taken over by the LPR's army back in 2014 and almost any detail about their usage is unknown.
• Russian Federation: As the L-29 was the VVS's (Soviet Air Force) main trainer, it kept being after the fall of the USSR. It equipped Russia's main trainer squadrons and some famous acrobatic ones like the Sky Knights. Some paramilitary organizations like the DOSAAF also used it.
• Ukraine: When the Soviets left the country, they left many material behind, including some L-29s. They were used as the main trainer of the newly founded Ukrainian Air Force until the late 1990s when they were replaced by the Aero L-39 Albatross.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijani_Air_and_Air_Defence_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechen_National_Guard

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Air_Force

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separatist_forces_of_the_war_in_Donbass

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Air_Force

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Air_Force