One of the more unusual stories about the war in Afghanistan is the creation of the Afghan air force. In hopes of building a more self-sufficient Afghan military, the U.S. government has been buying up aircraft from its former Cold War rivals. Rugged Russian Mi-17 helicopters are at the top of the Pentagon’s wish list, but the interest in ex-Warsaw Pact aircraft is not just limited to choppers. The Navy is currently in the market to buy three L-39C Albatros planes for the Afghan military. The Albatros – that’s the correct Czech spelling – is a subsonic jet that can...