Three of the six remaining Forca Aerea Portuguesa Alpha Jets wear a special livery. The jet in the foreground, 15236, received its tail markings in 2012 when the fleet reached 50,000 flight hours.

Alpha Jet 15211 has retained the markings applied back in 2003 for Esq 103’s 50th anniversary. EICPAC stands for Fighter Aircraft Pilots Complementary Instruction School.

The Esq 103 ramp prior to a four-ship mission.

Flares dispensing in a maritime attack training sortie.

Armament release was introduced in the fighter pilots’ course syllabus with the arrival of the Alpha Jet. In the 2016 edition of Exercise Real Thaw in Portugal, an Esq 103 aircraft managed a simulated kill of an F-15 Eagle.

Night missions are part of the fighter pilots’ course syllabus at Beja.

A cockpit upgrade was one of the features of a life extension programme.