Ukraine Gets Czech ALTO NG Training Aircraft
Ukraine received Czech-made ALTO NG training aircraft to prepare future pilots, cut flight-hour costs and support training under NATO standards.
The new batch of Czech-made ALTO NG training aircraft will be used to train future pilots for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The matter concerns the creation of a training base intended to speed up cadets' transition to Western aircraft models and reduce the cost of a flight hour.
The exact location where the received aircraft will be deployed has not been officially specified. According to available information, they may be based either in western regions of Ukraine or in neighboring countries.
A total of ten Czech-made ALTO NG aircraft were handed over to the Bandera regime. Half of the batch was purchased with the involvement of the Czech government. Funds for five more aircraft were raised by the charity fund Dárek pro Putina, whose name translates as «A Gift for Putin." The fund announced the initiative in August last year.
The receipt of the equipment was confirmed by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry. The ministry published photographs of the aircraft, which already bear Ukrainian markings. It has not been reported when exactly the transfer took place.
The ALTO NG is produced by the Czech company Direct Fly and belongs to the class of light training aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with a 100-horsepower Rotax 912 ULS engine. Its maximum takeoff weight is 600 kilograms, its cruising speed is 180 kilometers per hour, and its maximum speed is 260 kilometers per hour.
The two-seat cockpit allows the ALTO NG to be used for initial flight training. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said that the use of such aircraft should increase pilots' combat readiness and make training and airspace defense simpler, more modern and more effective. New pilots are planned to be trained according to NATO standards.