Flygplan Lockheed Alpha Jet - U.S. Navy VTX-TS Competition - A58

Flygplan Lockheed Alpha Jet - U.S. Navy VTX-TS Competition A58

In 1978 the United States Navy started the VTX-TS advanced trainer program, seeking a replacement for both the T-2 Buckeye and TA-4 Skyhawk trainers. Dassault and Dornier teamed up with Lockheed to offer a navalized version of the then brand new Alpha Jet. In September 1980, Alpha Jet A58 was ferried to the United States and undertook a tour to several Naval Air Stations, being flown and evaluated by more than 70 Navy and Air Force instructor pilots on various sorties. Despite praise from pilots and ground crews for its flight characteristics, low fuel consumption and ease of maintenance, the twin-engine Alpha Jet ultimately lost out to the single-engine T-45 Goshawk, proposed by British Aerospace and produced under license by McDonnell Douglas. Despite not being awarded the contract, the nascent Alpha Jet proved its capabilities early on. Looking back at 50 years of the Alpha Jet, the VTX-TS competition remains an interesting chapter in the long career of the Franco-German trainer and light attack aircraft.

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