DONE +++ Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ‚28+05‘ of MFG 1, Deutsche Luftwaffe, 1992

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia to meet requirements for a "C-39" (C for cvičný – trainer) during the 1960s to replace the L-29 Delfín as the main training aircraft. It was the first of the second-generation jet trainers, and the first turbofan-powered trainer produced.

The L-39 first flew on 4 November 1969. Serial production began in 1971. The basic trainer was not armed, but had two underwing pylons for drop tanks and practice weapons. Light-attack variants (e. g. the L-39ZO) had four underwing hardpoints for ground attack stores, the later ZA also had an underfuselage gun pod.

To date, more than 2.800 L-39s have served with over 30 air forces around the world. The Albatros is probably the most widely used jet trainer in the world; in addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flown combat missions in a light-attack role. Atypically, it never received a NATO reporting name.


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Germany became an operator of the L-39 through the demise of the GDR and its armed forces, the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA). The NVA's air arm, the Luftstreitkräfte (LSK), had been operating a considerable L-39 fleet, including 52× L-39ZO armed trainers plus two L-39V target tugs. In the wake of the unification of Western and Eastern Germany, the NVA was dissolved and almost all of its equipment retired - except for some specialized items like Mi-14 naval rescue helicopters (operated in the Baltic Sea region), a few MiG-29s as well as a small L-39 force.

The majority of the ex-NVA's Albatros fleet had been withdrawn from use in 1990 and partly sold to other countries, e.g. Hungary. But a total of eight L-39ZO airframes with low flying hours were retained and modified to serve as target tugs for the German Bundeswehr and its various forces in the air, at sea and on land. This heritage came as a timely and cost-effective opportunity, since the Luftwaffe just had retired its OV-10B Bronco target tug fleet after 20 years of service.


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The dedicated target tug L-39V, with an internal winch and other specialized equipment, was refused because it was not compatible with Western target systems. Furthermore, the starting procedure with an aerial KT-04 Schleppziel target of Russian origin on a dolly behind the aircraft was deemed to be too hazardous by Bundeswehr officials – even though it had successfully been practiced by the NVA LSK fpr years.
Another fact that spoke against the L-39V was simply the limited number of available aircraft from the NVA heritage: there had only been two machines, formerly operated by the NVA-LSK's ZDK-33 (Zieldarstellungskette) in Peenemünde. This lone couple had had to be augmented by further, externally procured machines in order to build and maintain a decent fleet and its respective infrastructure. Therefore, the L-39Vs were sold together with the NVA LSK L-39 fleet's rest.

However, the opportunity to adopt the L-39 and benefit from the NVA air and ground crews' experience with the type was too big to turn down, and consequently the aircraft was modified for specialized target tug and target simulation services by the Bundeswehr. Several modifications were made to the eight ex NVA L-39 ZOs, even though only few were actually visible. Most visible change was the deletion of the gun pod under the forward fuselage. Under the hood, many systems and cockpit instruments were replaced by Western equipment, and Martin Baker Mk. 10 ejection seats were mounted. Another fundamental modification was a new engine: the original Al-25 turbofan was replaced by a Garrett TFE731-2-2N turbofan with slightly less power, but much improved fuel economy, higher reliability and lower maintenance intensity.


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Any tug towing equipment was carried externally under the wings, in various pods. Even though the machines were frequently operated with a single pilot only, the second seat and full dual controls were retained.

The revamped L-39s (plus three unpowered airframes for spares) were allocated to the German Navy's air arm, the Marineflieger, because hot weapon training for the Luftwaffe's F-4F Phantom II's would typically take place over the North and Baltic Sea. The machines lost their former NVA LSK livery and received instead a naval wrap-around paint scheme, with tactical codes in the 28+01 to 28+08 range. The official Bundeswehr designation of the type became L-39M(Z) ('M' for 'modifiziert' = modified, with an additional '(Z)' for 'Zieldarstellung' = aerial target simulation).


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Despite their trainer potential, the Marineflieger L-39s exclusively served in the target simulation role, either as aerial target tugs for air and ground crews, or, alternatively and outfitted with special radar reflectors, for low-level cruise missile simulations. Most of the machines received additional orange high visibility markings during their career, even though their placement and size varied between individual airframes. Curiously enough, 28+01 and 28+03 were left in the original three-tone camouflage paint scheme.

The L-39M(Z)s were initially allocated to MFG1 at Jagel, but this squadron was soon disbanded and partly integrated into MFG2. In late 1993 the small Albatros fleet moved to MFG2's Eggebek AB. The machines were not only used over German territory, but also deployed to foreign NATO bases, including Decimomannu AB on Sicily, where German and other NATO forces' aircraft crews frequently practiced hot weapon fire as a part of NATO Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT).

The machines served faithfully until 2003, when the fleet was completely retired, the airframes having expended their structural lifetime, only 28+04 having been lost prematurely in 1996 due to a bird collision, though. The retirement was further promoted by the fact that the German defense budget had been massively reduced after the end of the Cold War, and as one of the consequences the Naval Air Arm was about to lose its offensive elements, e.g. the complete Tornado fleet.


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



General characteristics:
    Crew: 2 (even though frequently operated by only a single pilot in the front seat)
    Length: 12.13 m (39 ft 9½ in)
    Wingspan: 9.46 m (31 ft 0½ in)
    Height: 4.77 m (15 ft 7¾ in)
    Wing area: 18.8 m² (202 ft²)
    Wing loading: 250.0 kg/m² (51.3 lb/ft²)
    Thrust/weight: 0.37
    Airfoil: NACA 64A012 mod
    Empty weight: 3,455 kg (7,617 lb)
    Max. take-off weight: 5,275 kg (11.618 lbs.)

Powerplant:
    1× Garrett TFE731-2-2N turbofan, 15.57 kN (3,500 lbf)

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 750 km/h (405 knots, 466 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
    Never exceed speed: Mach 0.80 (609 mph, 980 km/h)
    Range: 1.300 km (593 nmi, 683 mi) on internal fuel
          2.000 km, (944 nmi, 1,087 mi) ferry range with drop tanks
    Endurance: 2 hr 50 min (internal fuel), 4 hr 30 min (internal and external fuel)
    Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,100 ft)
    Rate of climb: 21 m/s (4,130 ft/min)
    Climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft): 5 min
    Take-off roll: 530 m (1,740 ft)
    Landing roll: 650 m (2,140 ft)

Armament:
    4x underwing hardpoints for up to 2.425 lb (1.100 kg) of weapons,
    including bombs, rocket pods, gun pods, a five-camera reconnaissance pod, or two fuel drop-tanks




The kit and its assembly:
This is another idea/build I had on the long idea list, with the kit already stashed away long time ago and basically all other ingredients at hand, too.
Again, the "In the Navy" GB was a good trigger to dig out the parts and finally start this very special target tug project.

The kit is the Eduard Aero L-39ZA Albatros (Weekend edition, without PE parts or masks): a nice and simple offering with good detail and engraved panel lines. But for a modern mould (from 2002, AFAIK) I am amazed that it features some avoidable weak points like massive (and poorly fitting) wing trailing edges or sinkholes in the (massive!) wing tip tanks or above the exhaust? But, nevertheless, it's probably the best L-39 around at the moment.

As a side note, the completely closed landing gear wells appear like a flaw, too, but this detail is correct: the real aircraft encloses its wheel-wells when the undercarriage is extended! Looks very clean.

The kit was mostly built OOB, I just replaced the election seats and mounted an aerial target pod. Originally, this was to be the TDU-10B "Dart" from Hasegawa's "Aircraft Weapons: IV" set, since it was used by the Luftwaffe, too - and finally a good use for that huge kite! The whole target pod package was placed under the port wing's inner pylon, while an original Albatros drop tank was placed on the other side.


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
The more interesting part of the build. The German Marineflieger, as well as the Luftwaffe, experimented a lot with different and sometimes exotic and complex camouflage schemes during the late 70ies and in the 80ies. And while the late low-viz Luftwaffe machines looked similar, almost each type carried its own scheme and colors, in some cases there were even alternative patterns with the same tones.


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


For the L-39 I used the definitive Westland Sea King scheme as benchmark (Norm '87), which were (until today) painted with all-over blotches of RAL 7030 (Steingrau), 7009 (Grüngrau) and 7012 (Basaltgrau) – the latter two tones are hard to differentiate. I used Revell acrylics, since the authentic tones are available.

For some color contrast and the aircraft's supportive role I added orange hi-viz markings on the wings and the tail. These were made from generic decal sheet from TL Modellbau. This works very well and is less hazardous than trying to paint these markings, with an extra coat of white primer and probably a rather uneven finish through brush application.


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



As standard procedure, the kit received a thinned black ink wash, emphasizing the engraved panel lines, and some panel shading with lighter tones of the basic camouflage colors.

The cockpit was painted in Dark Gull Gray and a greenish blue-gray (instead of the original Soviet non-fatigue teal), with black ejection seats. The air intake interior and the inside of the main landing gear covers became Chromate Yellow.

The winch pod became white, for some contrast, while the target was painted with dayglow orange on a yellow primer base. The counterweight drop tank received, as a remnant of the aircraft's origins, the type's NVA camouflage in Ochre and Olive Drab with a pale gray underside (Humbrol 83, 155 and 129, respectively). Looks odd and adds diversity.

The Luftwaffe markings were puzzled together from various sheets, primarily from a Tornado aftermarket sheet. Most stencils came from the Eduard OOB sheet. Finally the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish.




1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Aero L-39M(Z) 'Albatros'; ,28+05' of Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG) 1, Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte; Schleswig/Jagel Air Base, 1992 (Whif/Eduard kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[PR19_Kit]

Are you SURE that's a Whiff Thomas? It looks, and sounds, far too believable to me.

Looks great anyway. 

[Gondor]

Your the only person I know of that has come up with some credible use for the Targets provided in the Hasegawa weapons sets 

Great build as always

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

Your the only person I know of that has come up with some credible use for the Targets provided in the Hasegawa weapons sets 

Great build as always

Gondor

Thank you. It actually took years to find a potential use and opportunity to mount one of these kites. And I am actually amazed that the L-39 can carry it without looking goofy (even though ground clearance is minimal). AFAIK, these things were also carried under Luftwaffe Starfighters - also an interesting sight!

And, yes, this one does not look too spectacular - it's rather a subtle "forgery" whif that fits well into a real historic gap. Rather a "Could've well been..." 

[zenrat]

Good job.

So IRL were the kites shot at with live ammunition?

[ysi_maniac]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

So IRL were the kites shot at with live ammunition?

Yes, AFAIK these kites were primarily used for AA gun training, towed through a 1,500 - 2,000 foot cable; at its rear end the target was also equipped with a radar reflector to permit the use of radar gun sight.

[NARSES2]

That does look good, very good in fact 

I must admit though I really can't deal with those target kites, they just look plain silly to me and allways look as though they are to a different scale to that of the mother aircraft. Just proves....fact and fiction 

[DogfighterZen]

Very nice, i like the camo a lot!

[Old Wombat]

Nice looking piece of kit, that!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much, gentlemen. 

[zenrat]

So IRL were the kites shot at with live ammunition?

Yes, AFAIK these kites were primarily used for AA gun training, towed through a 1,500 - 2,000 foot cable; at its rear end the target was also equipped with a radar reflector to permit the use of radar gun sight.

Thanks Dizz.

[Captain Canada]

That looks so right in those colours ! Love the shot of the target deploying. Great stuff.