It's a bit like a moped: Alpha Jet pilot's verdict on plane his team use compared with Red Arrows

It is the jet used by the French equivalent to the Red Arrows in their spectacular aerial displays.

The Patrouille de France aerobatics team have been impressing crowds all over the world in their Alpha Jets.

The aircraft has been in service with the unit since the 1980s and will take a prominent role in the upcoming celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence.

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Patrouille de France have 10 of these French-manufactured planes – painted red, white and blue with the gun placement replaced with smoke generator for their flying formations.

One of the pilots, known as Captain Jason, said: "It's a very nice aircraft. 

"We all come from fighter jets like Rafale or Mirage 2000 and we say it's a bit like a moped. 

"It's an old ship – she's from the 70s. Inside the cockpit you have needles everywhere – there's no screens."

The models used by the team are two-seaters and used for training purposes by the French Air & Space Force.

Unlike the Red Arrows' Hawk T1 jet, the Alpha Jet is a twin-engine aircraft with a slightly lower power-to-weight ratio, but it does provide reliability during complex manoeuvres in performances.

Capt Jason added: "The difference with the Hawk is that we have two engines that are not very powerful but they're enough to do all the manoeuvres you can see during our show. 

"But we're a bit jealous of the smoke, the Red Arrows' smoke, because our smoke is not very dense. 

"We're a bit jealous about that."

The team will be taking part in a series of performances to mark 250 years since the signing of the US Declaration of Independence – a Stars and Stripes tail sheen has been painted on the left side of the jets' fin for the occasion.

"We're there to represent all the French air force over there for the 250 years of the United States," Capt Jason said.

"We want the American people to see what we can do with our Alpha Jets and I think they'll love it."