Dassault / Dornier Alpha Jet The Dassault / Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced trainer aircraft co - manufactured by Dornier of Germany and Dassault - Breguet of France . Adopted by many air forces worldwide , the Alpha Jet continues to be widely used even after its useful service life was over in France and Germany , its primary operators . Design and development . In the early 1960s , European air forces began to consider their requirements for the coming decades . One of the results was the emergence of a new generation of jet trainers to replace such aircraft as the Lockheed T - 33 and Fouga Magister . The British and French began a collaboration on development of what was supposed to be a supersonic jet aircraft in two versions : trainer and light attack aircraft . The result of this collaboration , the SEPECAT Jaguar , proved to be an excellent aircraft , but its definition had changed in the interim , and the type emerged as a full - sized , nuclear - capable strike fighter , whose two - seat variants were used for operational conversion to the type , not for general training . This left the original requirement unfulfilled and so the French began discussions with West Germany for collaboration . A joint specification was produced in 1968 . The trainer was now subsonic , supersonic trainers having proven something of a dead end . A joint development and production agreement was signed in July 1969 which indicated that the two nations would buy 200 machines , each assembled in their own country . Proposals were generated by three groups of manufacturers : All the proposals were to be powered by twin SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac turbofans . The German air force had insisted that the trainer have two engines after suffering severe attrition from accidents with their single - engine Lockheed F - 104 Starfighter . Operational history . The Breguet - Dassault - Dornier TA501 was declared the winner of the competition on 23 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 9 January 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 made its first flight on 4 November 1977 . 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 and Fouga Magister in jet training and the Dassault Mystère IV A in weapons training . The " Patrouille de France " , air demonstration team of the French Air Force , fly the Alpha Jet . A total of 176 production Alpha Jet E machines were delivered up to 1985 , not the 200 that had been planned . While an excellent aircraft , French air force commanders of combat units did have one complaint against the Alpha Jet , in that it was a very forgiving aircraft to fly , resulting in a lengthier and steeper learning curve when assigned to fly combat aircraft which were not so forgiving . The Luftwaffe decided to use the Alpha Jet mainly in the light strike role , preferring to continue flight training in the southwestern United States on American trainer types instead of performing training in Germany , although Germany also used Alpha Jets based at Beja , Portugal for weapons training . The first production German Alpha Jet performed its maiden flight on 12 April 1978 , with deliveries beginning in March 1979 . 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 sub - assemblies 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 planes featuring a rounded - off nose and German ones featuring a sharp , pointed nose . Foreign service and improved variants . Considerable foreign sales were expected for the Alpha Jet , with the type becoming available before its main rival , the United Kingdom ' s BAe Hawk . The Hawk ended up winning on sales , but as it was commented : The first major foreign customers were Belgium and Egypt , each performing final assembly of French - configuration Alpha Jet E machines . Belgium ordered 33 aircraft under the designation Alpha Jet 1B , with assembly by SABCA of Belgium and deliveries in 1978 – 1980 . The Belgian aircraft have been updated by SABCA to Alpha Jet 1B + configuration , featuring a laser - gyro inertial navigation system with a GPS receiver , a HUD in the front cockpit and a HUD repeater in the rear , a video recorder and other small improvements . The initial 1B + was redelivered in 2000 and the Alpha Jets are expected to remain in Belgian service until at least 2015 . Egypt ordered 30 aircraft designated Alpha Jet MS1 in the early 1980s . Four complete aircraft were supplied by Dassault , with the other 26 assembled in Egypt from knockdown kits by AOI . Several other nations also obtained the Alpha Jet E , including the Ivory Coast ( seven aircraft ) , Morocco ( 24 ) , Nigeria ( 24 ) , Qatar ( six ) and Togo ( five ) . All of these machines were from French production except for the 24 Nigerian aircraft , which were from German production . Pictures of Qatari Alpha Jet E machines show them painted in neat brown - and - sand ripple desert camouflage on top and light blue on the bottom , and also featuring an unusual long spine running from the tail fin up to about mid - wing . The spine may house additional avionics . The Luftwaffe began to phase out their Alpha Jet A machines in 1992 , reserving 45 for lead - in fighter training . A total of 50 were passed on to Portugal in 1993 , replacing the Northrop T - 38 Talon and Fiat G . 91 , with five of these used for spares . The rest of the Luftwaffe ' s Alpha Jets were gradually phased out , with the last leaving service in 1998 . In 1999 , 25 more were sold to Thailand to replace North American OV - 10 Bronco s in the border patrol role , while the British Defence Evaluation and Research Agency obtained 12 as chase aircraft and flight test platforms . Both the Thais and the British used five of their aircraft for spares . The Alpha Jets were sold cheaply since they were soaking up funds simply sitting in mothballs , though Fairchild - Dornier got a contract worth US $ 43 million to refurbish the machines and provide support to the end users . Apparently 32 more , including two spares hulks , were sold to the United Arab Emirates , though details are unclear , and three went to private owners , to be used by the " Flying Bulls " flight demonstration team , which operates out of Austria and flies a range of classic aircraft . In 1980 , work began on an " Alternate Close Support " version of the Alpha Jet , featuring a SAGEM ULISS 81 INS , a Thomson - CSF VE - 110 HUD , a TMV630 laser rangefinder in a modified nose and a TRT AHV 9 radio altimeter , with all avionics linked through a digital databus . Initial flight was on 9 April 1982 . Cameroon obtained seven ( some sources claim 6 ) and Egypt obtained 15 . As with the original Egyptian order for MS1 machines , Dassault provided four such machines under the designation of MS2 and AOI of Egypt assembled the other eleven from knockdown kits . Abbatare Inc . of Arlington , Washington , under the name of " Alpha Jets USA " , has begun to import Alpha Jets into the United States and sell them in the civilian market . There were a number of other Alpha Jet proposals that never reached production : Notable appearances in media . Alpha Jets appeared in the 2005 French movie " Les Chevaliers du ciel " . In the 2012 movie " The Avengers " , grey Alpha Jets with ' S . H . I . E . L . D . ' markings can be seen on the flightdeck of the Helicarrier .