• The last six fighter pilots trained on Alphajet received their patents Thursday at the BA 120 of Cazaux (Gironde).
  • Pilot training will now take place entirely in Cognac, and only on PC 21.
  • However, the Alphajet will continue to equip the Patrouille de France, present at the ceremony to perform a demonstration, for a few more years.

"We were lucky enough to be part of this story... » Emotion sequence, Thursday, on the BA of 120 of Cazaux (Gironde), for the "macaronnage" of the last promotion of fighter pilots trained on Alphajet. Six young officers from the Air and Space School received their wings, after three years in the fighter sector within the 3/8 Côte d'Or squadron in Cazaux.


The France patrol was at the BA 120 of Cazaux this Thursday, for the presentation of the patent to the last six fighter pilots of the Air #Armée trained on Alphajet pic.twitter.com/8Nysd6dptN

— 20minutesbordeaux (@20minutesbord) March 16, 2023

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"It is an honour to be part of the last promotion on Alphajet and to complete 43 years of training on this aircraft, we are very proud of it," said one of the six licensed pilots, Lieutenant Thibault. It's a great, mythical plane that we've seen flying since we were a kid with the Patrouille de France. It is an exceptional jet aircraft, you can do aerobatics in all directions, and it goes fast, it pushes. We will regret it and it is sure that for the very last flight, we will have tears in our eyes. »


The Alphajet bows out with regard to the training of fighter pilots, since it will now be carried out, entirely, at the BA 709 of Cognac (Charente) and only on PC 21. The six young pilots licensed on Thursday, however, will continue to fly with a few more months, the time to complete their operational transition period during which they will learn tactical combat, within the 3/8 Côte d'Or squadron in Cazaux.

"A historic page that is turning for the Air Force"

The Alphajet had been equipping the Air Force since December 1978. It landed in Cazaux for the first time in 1982. This two-seater jet was designed to meet a joint program of the French and German Air Forces, it is thus the first aircraft built jointly by Dassault and Breguet. Intended to succeed the Fouga-Magister and the Lockheed T 33, it was undertaken in cooperation with the German company Dornier.

Since 1979, it has served continuously in the advanced operational training of all young French pilots. "This is a historic page that is turning for the Air Force," said General Laurent Lherbette, commander of the air force. However, the general public will be able to continue to admire the Alphajet for a few more years, thanks to the Patrouille de France.

A replacement within the Patrouille de France circa 2030?

"We will keep the aircraft until we find a successor for the PAF," confirms Captain Romain Leseigneur, Athos 9 in the patrol, and nicknamed the "replacement", which means that he is the most experienced pilot of the patrol, able to replace any of his teammates. "We hear about the early 2030s for the replacement of the Alphajet, so it will come quite quickly, and it is true that it will be a pinch in the heart when the Patrol retires this aircraft, but it is also the history of the PAF to renew itself. We will celebrate our 70th anniversary this year and the Alphajet has been equipping us since 1982. »


However, his successor does not yet exist. Dassault, for example, does not have a training jet. The question therefore arises of launching a European project, especially since several national patrols are looking for aircraft to renew themselves.

And it will not necessarily be easy to find a replacement, because "many national patrols envy us this plane," says Captain Romain Leseigneur, even if the pilots affectionately nickname it the "gadget". "It's an aircraft that's just perfect for what we do both in terms of reliability and maneuverability. It is a twinjet, which makes it very reliable, and it has evolution speeds that range from 200 to 600 km/h that allow to have turning radii close to the public, so to have a strong stage presence, it is perfect for the air show. It is especially during the solos that he "shows all his potential and richness. »

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