Produced by the Aero Vodochody company in what was Czechoslovakia, the L-39 Albatros jet trainer was built to the tune of over 2,800 examples, the first of them flying in 1968. The type was a staple of the Warsaw Pact air arms and remains in service with many countries today, while it has also become popular on the civilian market. The Estonian Air Force's Fixed-Wing Squadron leases two L-39C models from Latvian company KS Avia. It uses them for training pilots (both Estonian and Latvian), fighter controllers and tactical air controllers. The pair of aircraft became operational in 2011.