Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet
The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform trainer and light attack missions, as well as to perform these duties more ideally than the first generation of jet trainers that preceded it. Following a competition, a design submitted by a team comprising Breguet Aviation, Dassault Aviation, and Dornier Flugzeugwerke, initially designated as the TA501, was selected and subsequently produced as the Alpha Jet.
| Alpha Jet | |
|---|---|
| An Alpha Jet of the French Air Force | |
| Role | Light attack and advanced trainer aircraft |
| National origin | France/Germany |
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation/Dornier Flugzeugwerke |
| First flight | 26 October 1973 |
| Introduction | 4 November 1977 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | French Air and Space Force Nigerian Air Force Egyptian Air Force Royal Thai Air Force |
| Produced | 1973–1991 |
| Number built | 480 |
Both the French Air and Space Force and German Air Force procured the Alpha Jet in large numbers, the former principally as a trainer aircraft and the latter choosing to use it as a light attack platform. As a result of post-Cold War military cutbacks, Germany elected to retire its own fleet of Alpha Jets in the 1990s and has re-sold many of these aircraft to both military and civilian operators. The Alpha Jet has been adopted by a number of air forces across the world and has also seen active combat use by some of these operators.