Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet

The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light jet attack and advanced trainer aircraft co-manufactured by Dornier of Germany and Dassault-Breguet of France.

The Breguet-Dassault-Dornier TA501 was declared the winner of the competition in July 1970, with full development approved in February 1972. Two prototypes were to be built by Dassault in France (that company having bought out Breguet in the meantime) and two were to be built by Dornier in Germany. The first French prototype performed its first flight at Istres on 26 October 1973, with the first German prototype following from Oberpfaffenhofen on January 9 1974. The remaining two prototypes were in the air before the end of 1974.

The French Air Force decided to use the Alpha Jet primarily as a trainer, and the first production Alpha Jet for the French performed its first flight on 4 November 1978. The French variant was known as the Alpha Jet E (the "E" standing for Ecole, French for "School") or Alpha Jet Advanced Trainer/Light Attack aircraft. Initial deliveries to France for service trials were in 1978, leading to introduction to line service in May 1979, replacing the Canadair T-33 in jet training and the Dassault Mystère IVA in weapons training. The Patrouille de France, air demonstration team of the French Air Force, fly the Alpha Jet. 176 production Alpha Jet E machines were delivered up to 1985, not the 200 that had been planned.

The Luftwaffe decided to use the Alpha Jet in the light strike role, preferring to continue flight training in the sunny Southwestern United States on American trainer types instead of performing training in cloudy Germany. The first production German Alpha Jet performed its first flight on 12 April 1978. It was designated the Alpha Jet A (the "A" standing for Appui Tactique or "Tactical Strike") or Alpha Jet Close Support variant. The Luftwaffe obtained 175 machines up to 1983, with the type replacing the Fiat G91R/3. Manufacture of Alpha Jet subassemblies was divided between France and Germany, with plants in each country performing final assembly and checkout. The four prototypes remained in service as testbeds, for example evaluating a composite graphite-epoxy wing and improved Larzac engine variants.

The different avionics fit makes French and German Alpha Jets easy to tell apart, with French machines featuring a rounded-off nose and German machines featuring a sharp, pointed nose.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Dassault
• Dornier
• Alpha
• Jet
• Armée
• de
• l'Air
• Luftwaffe
• light
• jet
• attack
• advanced
• trainer
• aircraft

[Sturmfalke010475]

I loved this plane... Its sad that the German Air Force retired them in 1997...

[HSMW]

And Portugal...

[collectorfun]

Try ia-63 pampa...

[minimums7]

I love the AJ :)

[Datschi182]

Mein Ich auch 

[wiesenbefeuchter]

..Portugal auch schon???

[wiesenbefeuchter]

Ganz Deiner Meinung, Predator!

[95predator]

irgendwie scheiße ists schon. diese flugzeug muss man einfach lieben...