NO(^94) THE MAGAZINE 01 95
SCANDINAVIAN
AVIATION MAGAZINE
Portuguese Alpha Retirement
For over two decades the venerable Alpha Jet
has provided the Portuguese Air Force with their
fast-jet training needs, but a combination of
funding issues and airframes at the end of their
service lives will see this come to an end
in 2018. Sam Wise looks at the history of the
type in Portuguese service.
The Portuguese Air Force, (Força Aérea
Portuguesa, FAP) has operated the Dassault/
Dornier Alpha Jet since 1993 when the air arm
received 50 airframes (Alpha Jet As) from the
Luftwaffe, who were at the same time disposing
of their trainers as surplus to requirements
following a post-Cold War restructuring
programme.
The German Air Force presented the Alphas to
the FAP as payment for their presence at Beja air
base - which the Luftwaffe had seen constructed
in the first place as northern European air space
was too crowded for tactical training - for nearly
thirty years (18 aircraft were already stationed at
the base in Portugal).
Of the 50 aircraft received, only 40 were actually
entered into service, with the remaining 10 being
kept for spares. Over the years, as the flight
hours of the airframes grew ever higher, the fleet
gradually reduced in numbers down to as few
as ten by 2006, and then six by the end of their
service with the air force.
The Alpha Jets were brought on to replace
three types recently removed from FAP service
at the time - the T-33C Shooting Star and T-38A
Talon with Esquadra 103 “Caracóis” (Snails) at
BA 11 at Beja, with whom the type served until
retirement, and the Fiat G.91R with Esquadra 301
“Jaguares” (Jaguars) at BA 6 at Montijo.
Esq. 301 subsequently moved to Beja and the
fleet was pooled, with neither esquadra actually
being assigned its own aircraft.