Services provided for the type included the provision of spare parts, service-life extensions, special repairs, overhauls, modifications and upgrades. Operational history Initial deliveries of the L-59 were made to the Czechoslovak Air Force, who briefly operated a small fleet of six L-39MS prior to the nation's separation into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; consequently, these aircraft were divided between the Czech Air Force and the Slovak Air Force. The L-59's most numerous operator, and its first export customer, was the Egyptian Air Force; a total of 69 L-59E aircraft would be delivered to the service. Early Egyptian operations encountered poor engine reliability; this matter let to a contract to the American aerospace firm AlliedSignal to produce an improved digital engine control system. The type had reportedly been intended for use as a lead-in-fighter trainer for the service's General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and Dassault Mirage 2000 fleets, and were equipped to be armed with Eastern-supplied weaponry. However, the Egyptian Air Force L-59s saw little use, allegedly being placed into storage around 1999. During the early to mid 1990s, various export opportunities were pursued by Aero Vodochody for the L-59, complimenting its continued sales efforts with the L-39 predecessor. One opportunity pursued was the Royal Australian Air Force's lead-in fighter-trainer requirement, an effort which would ultimately be unsuccessful. There were also proposed variants, such as the L-59F, that were to be provisioned with equipment from overseas suppliers, such as avionics from the Israeli company Elbit, and adoption of the American-Taiwanese Honeywell/ITEC F124 turbofan engine in place of the Lotarev DV-2 of earlier variants. In 1995, deliveries of L-59Ts commenced to the Tunisian Air Force, a total of 12 were delivered to the service. The type has been typically used for advanced pilot training and weapons training purposes, with a secondary focus on conducting light combat operations as well. During the First Libyan Civil War in 2011, Tunisian L-59s commonly flew armed patrol missions along the country's border with Libya. During April 2014, a number of Tunisian L-59s performed multiple reconnaissance missions and counter-insurgency (COIN) strikes in support of major military offensives in the border region of Mount Chaambi against Ansar al-Sharia and al-Qaeda-linked militants that aimed to destabilize Tunisia's transition to democracy. In 2022, it was speculated that Tunisia's L-59T fleet would be rapidly replaced in the near future, the Boeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk has been suggested as a candidate. Variants