Aero Vodochody, the most famous of all Czech aerospace companies, has built and delivered more than 6,500 jet trainers - more than any other company in the world. There was the L-29 Delphin in the 1950s, then came the L-39 Albatros in the '60s, and with all that rich tradition it wasn't surprising that a new-generation L-39NG was launched in 2014.Of course, things are a lot different now than when Aero built all those trainers. During the Cold War, the company was part of the Soviet Union's communist network - today, it is trying to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of capitalism.Twenty-five years ago, the Prague-based company was building 72 L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft (ALCAs), most of which are still operational today, serving the Czech Air Force, Iraqi Air Force and Florida-based Draken International. Equipped with a lightweight Grifo airborne radar that makes it ideal in the aggressor role, the small ALCA is unique among lighter fighters of that era.
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