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Trainer & light attack

France

Dassault Aviation

Alpha Jet

A twin-engine, tandem-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft co-developed by France's Dassault and Germany's Dornier. It has trained generations of French fast-jet pilots and remains in French Air and Space Force service alongside continued export use.

In service since 1979 · 10 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

1,000

km/h

2,900

km range

14,630

m ceiling

2,500

kg payload

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

French export-licensed

CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.

Channel: DGA / direct commercial

Fielded & proven

Established · 10 operators

In service since 1979. Status: active · ~500 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.	1,000 km/h Stronger than 53% of trainers
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.	2,900 km Top 9% of trainers
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.	14,630 m Stronger than 72% of trainers

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.	5 Stronger than 29% of trainers
Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.	2,500 kg Stronger than 61% of trainers

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.	3,515 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.	7,500 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.	2

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Engine Powerplant model and type.	2x Turbomeca/SNECMA Larzac 04-C6 turbofans
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.	2
Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).	13 kN Stronger than 14% of trainers
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	Turbofan

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	500 Top 7% of trainers
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	10 Stronger than 84% of trainers

Specifications compiled from public Dassault Aviation and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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