The Czech Republic has sold Serbia six L-39 Skyfox combat training aircraft, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced, confirming earlier reports about the potential deal. However, the aircraft manufacturer has so far confirmed only that it submitted an offer to Belgrade, while Serbian authorities have yet to officially confirm the purchase.
Babiš made the announcement at the Prague Security Dialogue conference in the Czech capital, according to the Czech News Agency (ČTK).
“We managed to sell Serbia six of these aircraft, and we also sold L-410 aircraft,” Babiš said, highlighting that the Skyfox can be used both for military pilot training and for combating drones. It remains unclear whether the reference to the L-410 aircraft also concerned Serbia or another buyer.
Lukáš Hora, spokesperson for Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody, confirmed to ČTK that the company had submitted an offer to Serbia but declined to disclose the price or confirm whether a contract had been signed.
Serbia’s Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces have not yet commented on the reported purchase.
Babiš previously discussed the potential aircraft acquisition during a visit to Belgrade in July, where he met then-President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Đuro Macut. Representatives of Aero Vodochody were also part of the Czech delegation, according to ČTK.
In March, the L-39 Skyfox was presented to members of the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence at the Batajnica military airbase near Belgrade.
According to Czech military news portal Armádní noviny, the aircraft is expected to replace Serbia’s ageing Soko G-4 Super Galeb combat trainers.
Serbia also needs a modern training aircraft as its pilots prepare to transition to the operation of 12 French Rafale fighter jets. However, Belgrade has not officially confirmed that the Skyfox has been selected as the successor to the G-4 fleet.
The L-39 Skyfox, previously known as the L-39NG, is the latest generation of the L-39 Albatros training aircraft. It is powered by an American-made Williams FJ44-4M jet engine.
Aero Vodochody is also developing a specialised version known as the Drone Hunter, designed to intercept and combat unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Skyfox has previously been ordered by Hungary and Vietnam, while Armenia announced in October that it would purchase four aircraft. In September, Babiš said the Czech Republic would offer eight aircraft to Bulgaria. He also told Aktuálně.cz that an offer had been submitted to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The reported purchase price, delivery schedule and equipment configuration for Serbia’s six aircraft have not yet been disclosed.
