Bréguet 1050 Alizé

The Bréguet Alizé is a cold war carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft which also had a secondary anti-ship role. First flying in 1956, the Alizé carried a variety of torpedoes and depth charges in an internal bomb bay in addition to a number of missiles or rockets under the wings for surface combat missions. Operated by a crew of the three, the third sitting sideways at the back of the cockpit, the primary sensors on the aircraft were a retractable radar dome and sonar buoys which were deploying from the undercarriage sponsons. The Alizé saw service with the French and Indian navies. In Indian service the type saw combat in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War where one was shot down by an F-104 Starfighter, the type also saw combat in 1987 where one crippled a merchant ship off Sri Lanka.

In French service the Alizé flew from shore-based facilities and aircraft carriers throughout the cold war and was subject to a number of upgrades throughout its service. This included the installation of same radar system used in the Atlantique NG maritime patrol aircraft, modern defence systems and GPS based navigation systems. In French service the Alizé flew its final combat sorties during the 1999 NATO campaign in Kosovo and was finally retired in 2000.

A civilian group known as Alizé Marine have resorted Alizé serial number 59 to airworthy condition and have been displaying the aircraft at airshows all over Europe since 2013. We are pleased to announce that their Alizé will be making its first visit to RIAT this where it will appear on static display as part of our NATO 75th anniversary.

Photo Credit: Charles Cunliffe