Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet

Alpha Jet
An Alpha Jet of the French Air Force
General information
Type	Light attack and advanced trainer aircraft
National origin	France / West Germany
Manufacturer	Dassault Aviation/Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Status	In service
Primary users	French Air and Space Force Top Aces Egyptian Air Force Royal Thai Air Force
Number built	480
History
Manufactured	1973–1991
Introduction date	4 November 1977
First flight	26 October 1973

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.

Both the French Air and Space Force and West 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.