The DV-2 is a jet engine, specifically a turbofan, built to power military training and light attack aircraft. Unlike a car engine, a turbofan doesn’t turn wheels; it accelerates air backward to generate thrust, the force that pushes an aircraft forward. The DV-2 was developed to give trainer jets more power, better fuel efficiency, and a quieter, smoother ride than the turbojets of previous generations.

Picture a jet engine as a tube that pulls air in the front. A turbofan splits that air into two streams: some goes through the engine’s core to be mixed with fuel and burned for power, while a larger portion flows around the core, driven by a large fan at the front. That bypass air adds thrust efficiently without burning extra fuel — which is why turbofans are quieter and more economical than older, pure turbojet designs.

The DV-2 was designed to re-engine and power variants of the Aero L-39 Albatros, one of the most widely used military jet trainers in history, as well as the L-59 Super Albatros. Its predecessor, the AI-25TL, first made the original L-39 the world’s first high-performance jet trainer to use a turbofan instead of a turbojet.

The DV-2 is the intellectual property of Zetor Engineering Slovakia, a.s., based in Považská Bystrica, Slovakia. The DV-2 engine was made by the company Považské Strojárne – Letecké Motory (PSLM). PSLM was a facility with a long history of aircraft engine manufacturing dating back to the Cold War era. The engine was originally developed with the Ivchenko-Lotarev design bureau.

One notable feature is its single-stage fan, unusual for a military trainer engine, since most engines in this class use multiple fan stages. The DV-2’s design uses a comparatively low specific thrust cycle, meaning it moves a larger volume of air relatively gently rather than a smaller volume very forcefully. This gives it a higher bypass ratio than is typical for a military turbofan, contributing to better fuel efficiency and smoother operation.

• D symbolizes the Ukrainian river Dnieper.
• V stands for the Slovak river Váh.
• 2 indicates its turbofan design — it separates incoming air into two streams.

The name commemorates the international cooperation between the two design centers located on these rivers.

Development was a joint venture between the Ukrainian Ivchenko-Progress design bureau (ZMKB Progress) and ZVL Považské Strojárne in Považská Bystrica.

Serial production and final assembly were handled by the Slovak company Považské Strojárne – Letecké Motory (PSLM).

The first engine completely manufactured in Czechoslovakia rolled off the assembly line in 1988.

Military jet trainers and light combat/attack aircraft built for extreme operating conditions.

It powered the Aero L-39MS aircraft and its export variant, the L-59 Super Albatros.

Modified versions of the DV-2 were also tested on the Yak-130, Hongdu L-15 and Aermacchi M-346 aircraft.

Variants of the DV-2 have been operational for decades, powering trainer aircraft used by multiple air forces. The design lineage traces back to the AI-25 family, first developed in the 1960s, making it one of the most combat-tested and thoroughly proven engine families in the trainer-jet category.

Aircraft powered by the DV-2 and its related variants have been delivered to various air forces, including former Czecho-Slovakia, Egypt and Tunisia for the DV-2-powered L-39MS and the export version L-59 specifically, with the broader AI-25/DV-2 engine family powering thousands of L-39-series aircraft across post-Soviet, Asian, and African air forces.

Thousands of L-39-family aircraft were in active service worldwide, which keeps the technology still relevant for the development of future attritable turbofan propulsion.

Zetor Engineering Slovakia is not developing a new engine. Zetor Engineering Slovakia, as a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME), has applied to the European Union’s 2026 European Defence Fund (EDF) call to be included in a development study of a new turbofan engine, building on decades of expertise from the DV-2 program.

The EDF program targets a new turbofan in the 25–35 kN thrust class, notably more powerful than the original DV-2. It is intended for unmanned aircraft systems and “Loyal Wingman” platforms, the emerging category of autonomous or semi-autonomous drones designed to fly alongside crewed fighter aircraft.

The program is positioned as part of a broader push to reduce Europe’s reliance on non-European engine suppliers and strengthen technological sovereignty in aerospace propulsion. This is an increasingly prioritized goal across EU defense policy.

Integrating advanced sensor technology is one of the stated goals of the research program, reflecting how modern unmanned platforms increasingly rely on the engine itself as a source of real-time operational data, not only propulsion.

It signals a shift from being known primarily as a legacy trainer-engine custodian to becoming a contributor to Europe’s next generation of unmanned defense drones, carrying forward engineering knowledge first proven on the DV-2 into an entirely new category of aircraft propulsion.

As of now, there is a funding application for a development study, an early research phase, rather than a confirmed production program. Details on scope and timeline will depend on the outcome of the 2026 EDF call.