with the aid of computer aided design (CAD), conforms with the area rule. Fully powered controls are used, comprising a dual-hydraulic systems and load-factor limited dynamic feel system arrangement attached to conventional flight control surfaces. The cockpit is pressurised for greater comfort during training. The Alpha Jet is designed to accommodate ten-minute turn around times with minimal ground equipment, using features such as pressurised single-point refueling, ladder-less entry/exit of the cockpit, and a ten-hour endurance of the liquid oxygen system. The Alpha Jet was designed to perform a diverse range of roles. The principal users of the type, Germany and France, operated their Alpha Jets in different capacities, the former as a ground attack platform and the latter as a trainer aircraft. Beyond performing different roles, the Alpha Jet fleets of France and Germany noticeably differed in their specification and equipment; German aircraft were fitted with a more extensive weapon-aiming system, a different fuel system, a yaw damper, different brakes, nosewheel steering, an arrester hook, and Stencel ejector seats in place of Martin-Baker. According to aerospace publication Flight International, the majority of the specialised equipment used on the ground attack-orientated variant of the Alpha Jet was provided by German firms. In addition to the ground attack role, the Luftwaffe also employed the Alpha Jet in the electronic countermeasures (ECM) and aerial reconnaissance roles; for the latter purpose, a reconnaissance pod could be fitted upon the port hardpoint. The Alpha Jet is powered by a pair of SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac turbofan engines. It is a low bypass-ratio, twin-spool engine that uses modular construction methods. The Larzac was a new engine at the time, having only performed its first run a year prior to being selected to power the Alpha Jet. The need for greater thrust to power the aircraft than the original model of the engine could generate led to the development and adoption of the 2,970 lb Larzac 04 in February 1972; it was this version of the engine that initially powered the Alpha Jet. Germany was interested in powering the type with the General Electric J85, but France objected to the use of an American engine which would result in US export restrictions upon the overall aircraft and agreed to assume the cost of developing the French-built Larzac. During the 1980s, an upgraded model of the Larzac engine which increased the thrust by 10 per cent was developed. The