3 Alpha Jet retires

QinetiQ’s Dornier-Dassault Alpha Jet ZJ646 landing at MoD Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, on January 31, 2018 following its final flight. The aircraft was delivered to Boscombe Down in March 2000, one of 12 former Luftwaffe Alpha Jets supplied to QinetiQ; four remained at the base as of January 31.

QinetiQ’s Alpha Jets were used by the Empire Test Pilot School based at Boscombe for the fixed-wing training course, currently undertaken with Hawk T1As, and in the future by two Pilatus PC-21s. Ian Harding