Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet

The Alpha Jet is a twin-engine light attack aircraft and advanced jet trainer built jointly by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier of Germany. It came from a Franco-German agreement of 1969 and a design competition won in 1970 by the Breguet, Dassault and Dornier team proposal known as the TA501. France wanted a subsonic trainer and Germany a close air support aircraft to replace its Fiat G.91s, so one airframe was built in two versions, both powered by the French Larzac turbofan. Dornier made the wing, tail and rear fuselage and ran a German final assembly line, while Dassault made the front and centre fuselage and Belgium supplied the nose and flaps. The first prototype flew in October 1973 and production deliveries began in September 1978. Many air forces adopted it, and France retired it from student training in 2023.