IN FOCUS
Mark Attrill focuses on the Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet, a European advanced jet trainer and light-attack aircraft
ALPHA JET

In the early 1960s, the priority for British and French manufacturers was the development of advanced combat aircraft. At that time, jet trainers had evolved largely from existing fighter types, such as the de Havilland Vampire, Gloster Meteor and Hawker Hunter. The two nations established a collaborative programme to develop a new generation of instructional aircraft, which could also be used in a light-attack role. However, conflicting concepts and specifications ultimately delivered a more complicated design than originally envisaged, namely the SEPECAT Jaguar, but this was too costly and complex for the intended trainer market.