AEC Skyline acquires Thai L-39s

Dutch company AEC Skyline announced that it  recently acquired three former Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) L-39ZA/ART Albatros training/close air support aircraft. AECs aerial taskings comprise of  close air support, electronic warfare and adversary training, combined with target towing, remote sensing and calibration and testing.

AEC operates from Groningen Airport Eelde and Breda Airport with a number of L-39s and a Learjet 36A. Through said acquisition the company will significantly expand its existing contract air fleet.

The three Albatrosses are currently being collected in Thailand and prepared for shipment to the Netherlands. The L-39ZA/ART jet aircraft are equipped with their original mission computer and underwing hardpoints with relevant wiring needed for weapons delivery still being intact.

The first of a total of 37 L-39s was delivered to Thailand in 1994 and the final one was retired by the RTAF in 2021. Also included in the transfer are spare engines and stocks of spare parts for both parties.

By acquiring these aircraft AEC Skyline will be capable of increasing its level of JTAC close air support training, an area in which it has been active for over thirty years.

It is expected that two of the new arrivals will be assembled and prepared for operations, while the third machine is said to be used as a source for spare parts.

Photo by Jurgen van Toor from the Scramble archives of a Thai Air Force L-39