Herpa Lockheed Alpha Jet - US Navy VTX-TS Competition – A58 1/72 580861

Length: 17 cm

Material: Diecast

Brand: Herpa

In 1978, the United States Navy launched the VTX-TS Advanced Trainer Program to find a replacement for the T-2 Buckeye and TA-4 Skyhawk trainers. Dassault and Dornier teamed up with Lockheed to offer a naval-tailored version of the then-brand-new Alpha Jet. In September 1980, Alpha Jet A58 was transferred to the United States and made a tour of several naval bases, where it was flown and evaluated by more than 70 Navy and Air Force instructors on a variety of missions. Despite praise from pilots and ground crews for excellent flight characteristics, low fuel consumption, and ease of maintenance, the twin-engine Alpha Jet ultimately lost out to the single-engine T-45 Goshawk, which was entered into the race by British Aerospace and eventually manufactured under license by McDonnell Douglas. Although the contract was not awarded, the nascent Alpha Jet demonstrated its capabilities early on. Looking back on 50 years of the Alpha Jet, the VTX-TS competition remains an interesting chapter in the long career of the German-French trainer and light fighter-bomber.