SW - Aero L-159 Sokol

In the late 60s, the team of Czech aerial designer ing.Jan Vlček developed two designs of battle fighters. The first one was L-59 (a little larger derivate of existing trainer L-39 Albatros), the second one was supersonic fighter L-159 (or A-159B) with maximum speed 1,4M (1500 km/h) with no cannon armaments, just with missiles and fuel tanks on the tops of the wings. The tandem landing gears had make it possible to take off even from airfields without concrete runways.
In 1967 works on the design began. A small maquette for tunnel testing was built and next one in 1:1 was (probably) particularly prepared but in 1970 all the project was canceled when various troubles occured. Some say that Soviet Union didn't allow to realize this project as the Russians don't want their satelite states have their own supersonic airplanes.
The assignment L-159 now belongs to airplane Alca (derivate of Albatros, again) and the project of Sokol (Falcon) is almost forgotten.