January 6 (SeeNews) - Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody Aerospace said it has won a tender to overhaul and partially upgrade the Bulgarian Air Force's L-39 Albatros trainer aircraft, in collaboration with other Czech suppliers.
The four-year contract, signed with the Bulgarian defence ministry, will see the first two L-39ZA jets transferred to Aero at end-January, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
The Czech company, which produces the L-39 aircraft, will work on the two AI-25TL engines in collaboration with strategic partner LOM Praha. The overhaul also involves the plane's Safir auxiliary launch unit. The completed planes are set to be delivered back to Bulgaria in 2024.
The contract includes the replacement of the original Russian avionics with Western-made ones, thus renewing the navigation, communication, identification and recording equipment. The process will restore the aircraft to 7.5 years or 1,500 flight hours between overhauls, Aero Vodochody said.