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Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet

1978 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet

The Alpha Jet family of aircraft is a joint Franco-German initiative to produce state-of-the-art tactical trainer aircraft with close combat support. French firm Dassault-Breguet created an initial rating model called "TA501" (combining the qualities of two previous French and German proposals).

The concept was embraced by two countries involved in further development, culminating in the "Alpha Jet" in the late 1970s. Since then, the type has been used by several other countries, including Belgium, Egypt and Thailand.

The Alpha Jet is a traditional design designed to train aspiring pilots in complex jet-powered flight and high-speed weapons delivery. The twin-engine, two-seat strike platform proved to be a maneuverable mount with a high-mount swept-wing monoplane layout that allowed the release of various types of ammunition under the wings. A vertical fin is mounted above and between the two engine exhausts (drawn through the front air intakes on either side of the cockpit). The all-important pilot managed to get a good view from the large glass roof in two parts.

The instructor/co-pilot sits in a more handicapped position in the rear cockpit. The landing gear is a traditional tricycle layout, with two single-wheel main landing gear legs and a single-wheel nose landing gear leg - both retractable. Power is provided by a pair of SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac 04-C5 series turbofan engines buried in the middle and rear of the fuselage. The advertised top speed is 620 mph at sea level, and the ferry has a range of up to 1,800 miles.

The listed operating limit is 48,000 feet with a rate of climb in excess of 11,200 feet per minute.

The standard armament of the German Dornier carriage consisted of a 27mm Mauser BK-27 series rotary automatic cannon mounted on the centerline of the fuselage. The French Dassault version replaced it with a 30mm DEFA inner cannon in the same hull location. Alpha Jet supports AIM-9 Sidewinder and Matra Magic II series air-to-air missiles and AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles. In addition, the Alpha Jet is certified to carry conventional bombs, cluster bombs, cannon pods and rocket pods on five hardpoints with a maximum payload of 5,500 lbs.

It is mounted on two fixed points for 2 disposable external fuel tanks.

Germany has 93 of these aircraft in its inventory and appreciates the value of the system as an advanced trainer and close support weapon (the latter in extreme cases), with the locally manufactured Alpha Jet A model Dornier deploy. The German Alpha Jet is equipped with a Doppler radar navigation system and an advanced navigation attack suite capable of meeting close support requirements.

Eventually, the series was withdrawn from front-line service in the Luftwaffe in 1997, with 50 of them sold to Portugal and 6 to the UK. This means that Germany is no longer an active operator of Alpha Jet. The French received 99 Alpha Jet E models and are still in their fleet.

Approximately 480 Alpha Jets were produced in a small number of brands for Germany and France and selected export customers. The system remains a tried and true commodity due to its rugged design, strong performance in the desired role and inherent versatility.

The Alpha Jet series has undergone several modernizations and improvements in order to use it as a combat battlefield system in the near future.