In 1973 The Belgian Government decided to purchase 33 Dassault-Breguet/ Dornier Alpha Jet trainer aircraft to replace the ageing Lockheed T-33A and Fouga Magister trainer aircraft. With the search to find a successor for the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter fighter jet in the early 70s, the Belgian Air Force also looked for a new third-generation trainer jet. The Alpha Jet turned out to be the best choice. This training and tactical-support twin-jet tandem two-seater was the first aircraft produced jointly by Dassault Aviation and Breguet Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany.
The final contract was signed in September 1975 and the aircraft were given the designation Alpha Jet 1B. The assembly of the 32 aircraft was carried out by SABCA at their facilities in Gosselies after which the aircraft entered service at the 7th Squadron and 11th Squadron of the Belgian Air Force. Eventually, the first Alpha Jet (AT-01) was commissioned in October 1978 and in July 1980 the last Alpha Jet (AT-33) was delivered.
In the years that followed, the Sint-Truiden/ Brustem Air Base became the home base of these trainer jets as the two squadrons were located there. The paint shop at the base was also responsible for the typical ‘Vietnam’ colour scheme of the jets. When the base was closed in 1996, the Alpha Jets moved to the Beauvechain Air Base.
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