Aero Vodochody's L 159 advanced light combat aircraft (ALCA) is
being presented at the Paris Show as a mature program, from which
60 of 72 Aero L 159As in the original Czech air force (CLPO) requirement
have been delivered to date. The L 159 was developed jointly with
Boeing, which has a 35% shareholding in Aero Vodochody, and also
supplies the L 159A/Bs' mission system package.
In mid-2001, the Czech Defense Ministry announced that funding
limitations would probably halve its requirements, and decreed
that the last 36 single-seat L 159As should be offered for sale,
with the advantage of virtually immediate delivery. The CLPO also
needed up to 10 two-seat ALCA advanced combat trainers, which
Aero Vodochody had developed as a private-venture, low-cost light
ground-attack aircraft. The resulting L 159B, which first flew
on July 1, 2002, became a fully funded government program from
a July 23 order last year for an initial two production aircraft.
The L 139A/B are both powered by a single 6,300 pounds thrust
Honeywell F124-GA-100 turbofan, and have common NATO-compliant
dual 1553B digital mission system avionics. Based on later F-16-type
cockpit layouts, these include a Smiths Industries mission computer,
two Astronautics MFDs, Flight Visions HUD, Honeywell GPS/INS and
APX-100 IFF, Mason HOTAS, and Rockwell Collins broadband UHF/VHF,
plus datalink provision. For training roles, the L 159A's Galileo
Grifo fire-control radar may be replaced in the L 159B by electro-optical
sensors.
Joint overseas marketing with Boeing has included detailed discussions
with India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia and Venezuela as prospective
customers for both single- and two-seat versions.
India has shown interest in the L 159B for its long-delayed Advanced
Jet-Trainer program, for which procurement of 66 BAE Hawk 100s
had originally been favoured but not finalized, earlier this year.
Program unit costs, quoted in the Indian press as $12-14 million
for the L 159B as against $20 million or more for the Hawk 100,
are still in contention. BAE Systems was recently discussing direct
IAF purchase of 24 Hawks, with the remaining 42 to built under
license by Hindustan Aeronautics. Offering similar facilities,
Aero Vodochody says it can deliver over half the IAF's 66 required
AJTs this year.
Kenya, with a dwindling operational air element of only eight
Northrop F-5E/Fs and eight BAe Hawk 52 armed jet-trainers, is
another prospective Aero L 159 customer. Following a late 2002
L 159B demonstration at Laikipia air base, Aero Vodochody president
Antoni Jakubse forecast a possible Kenyan contract for up to eight
L 159Bs this spring.
L 159A operational development suffered a setback on February
24 from the first fatal crash, attributed to pilot error, in central
Bohemia. The aircraft was being flown by a CLPO test pilot on
air-to-ground firing trials with a ZVI Vsetin Plamen twin-barrelled
20mm cannon-pod. Some development delays are anticipated, since
the cannon destroyed in the accident was the sole working prototype.
