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. One of a number of international aircraft development and production programs that have been initiated since the end of World War 2, the Dassault-Breguet/ Dornier Alpha Jet was announced as a design and development program on 22 July 1969. Both France and West Germany required a new subsonic basic/advanced trainer and light attack aircraft to replace in-service Lockheed T-33A, Fouga Magister and Dassault Mystere IVA trainers and Aeritalia (Fiat) G91 attack aircraft. Following a design submission by Dassault-Breguet and Dornier to meet this requirement, it was announced on 24 July 1970 that the Alpha Jet had been selected and French and West German government approval for a start to the program was given in late 1972. Following evaluation of prototypes the go-ahead for production in quantity was given on 26 March 1975. A cantilever shoulder-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, the Alpha Jet has a swept wing and tail surfaces, retractable tricycle landing gear, accommodation for two persons in tandem seated on ejection seats, and powerplant comprising two SNECMA/Turbomeca Larzac turbofan engines.
The first of four prototypes made its maiden flight on 26 October 1973; delivery of the Alpha Jet E for the French Air Force began during the summer of 1978 and of the Alpha Jet A for the Federal German Luftwaffe in March 1979. The initial requirements of these two services, 200 and 175 respectively, were almost completed in early 1982 and orders for all versions of the Alpha Jet were then nearing the 500 mark, of which almost 80 per cent had been delivered. They include, in addition to the French and German requirements, examples for Belgium (33) Egypt (45), Ivory Coast (6), Morocco (24), Nigeria (12), Qatar (6) and Togo (5). One Alpha Jet A was modified during 1980 to evaluate an experimental transonic wing of super-critical section which has been developed by Dornier. Other changes to this aircraft, first flown in its new form on 12 December 1980, include the incorporation of leading and trailing-edge maneuvering flaps.