L-39: First Wings

In the early stages of the Cold War, jet aviation was making extraordinary progress. In only a decade, engineering teams across the world switched from making clumsy jet turbines slapped onto former props to complex, expensive, and very fast planes. Even the sound barrier became surmountable. Still, there were missions that could be completed by simpler, less refined machines. Besides, training the new generation of pilots demanded jets with simplified controls. At the same time, it became clear that some of the requirements for trainers and strike aircraft intersected. The idea to create a single combat trainer aircraft was in the air, so multiple nations tried their hands at making them, resulting in the Swedish Saab 105, the British Strikemaster, the Franco-German Alpha Jet, and many others. The Czechoslovakian L-39 Albatros was one of the most popular combat trainers among the Warsaw Pact countries.