Few aircraft are as tied to a single image as the Alpha Jet. For more than four decades, it has been the jet behind the red, white and blue smoke of the Patrouille de France, and for the past year and a half, simmers have been able to fly an officially licensed version of it in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Until now, though, that meant flying a 2020 aircraft inside MSFS 2024.
That changes today. Virga Studio’s native MSFS 2024 edition is out, and it brings with it reworked systems, a walkaround inspection and a smoke system that now works in multiplayer, so virtual display teams can finally fly together with the smoke on. Existing owners can also make the move for €6.30.
We covered Virga Studio’s surprise debut back in June 2025, when the then-unknown developer released a quasi study-level Alpha Jet built from 3D scans, public documentation and interviews with pilots, complete with sounds recorded from the real aircraft. At the time, the studio said development would later shift toward full MSFS 2024 integration.
That shift took a while. In March, Virga said the native build was going through what it called “industrial stress” testing, and that it was holding the release back because of a few malfunctioning switches and an engine start issue affecting roughly 5% of flights. There was no ETA, and the studio also said its application to the Microsoft Marketplace had effectively stalled, leaving sales through external stores as its main source of income.
Today’s release for MSFS 2024 arrives as version 1.0.0, available through Contrail and simMarket.
What’s new in the 2024 edition
Virga says the aircraft has been fully converted to the native MSFS 2024 format, and the list of changes goes beyond a straight port. On the systems side, the developer reports improvements to the electrical system, plus a new ventilation system and icing simulation. A Ground Power Unit has also been added for external electrical power on the ground, which should please anyone who likes a proper cold and dark start.
The studio also says the flight model has received adjustments, and that shadow rendering has been improved. Perhaps the most interesting change for group flyers concerns the three-color smoke system, which Virga says has been reworked and is now compatible with multiplayer.
There’s more to do on the ramp, too. The jet now supports an interactive walkaround with additional access panels and inspection hatches, alongside ground equipment like protective covers, safety devices and wheel chocks. Virga has also expanded the failure simulation with new malfunctions and emergencies, with a cheeky warning to be careful with the canopy jettison.
At a glance, the developer lists:
- Native MSFS 2024 conversion with flight model adjustments
- Improved electrical system, new ventilation and icing simulation
- GPU support for ground operations
- Reworked three-color smoke, now multiplayer-compatible
- Walkaround inspection with new access panels and ground equipment
- New failure scenarios, including canopy jettison
- Minor EFB and sound refinements
- Twenty liveries, including all ten aircraft of the Patrouille de France, plus two Canadian liveries
- Fixes for several bugs reported by the community in the 2020 version
The announcement doesn’t specify whether the engine start issue mentioned in March is among those fixes, though the studio says it continued testing until the build was ready.
For owners of the original version, Virga has taken the most common route and is charging for the upgrade. The studio explained that it is a small team, that the 2024 edition required many hours of work, and that it has to cover licensing fees, development tools and other operating costs. It says it would have liked to offer the upgrade for free, but considers the reduced price a fair compromise that lets it keep developing and supporting its aircraft.
In practice, existing owners pay €6.30, a small fraction of the full €29.09 (around $32.57) asking price.
A growing French fleet in MSFS 2024
The Alpha Jet joins a small but growing lineup of officially licensed Dassault aircraft in the sim. AzurPoly’s Rafale C launched natively for MSFS 2024 in August at $44.99, and later reached Contrail. Furthermore, AzurPoly’s native 2024 Jaguar launched at $35.99.
At its current price, the Alpha Jet sits below both, and it fills a different role. This is a trainer built around aerobatics, formation work and low-level flying, and there’s a nice bit of history available to simmers here: the Alpha Jet was planned as the successor to the Fouga Magister and the T-33, and both of those have been available for MSFS through AzurPoly’s Magister and iniBuilds’ T-33. Flying all three in sequence would make for a rather fun lesson in jet trainer evolution.
Still on the wish list
Not everything teased earlier this year has made it into this release. In March, Virga showed off a new exterior with the pointed nose associated with the Luftwaffe’s Alpha Jets and the Canadian aircraft operated by Top Aces, a long-standing community request. The 2024 edition does include two Canadian liveries, but the developer is clear that these are liveries only and don’t represent a fully modeled Alpha Jet A variant. Today’s announcement doesn’t say where that variant currently stands.
The same goes for the Marketplace. When the jet first launched, Virga said an Xbox version was planned, and in March it described its Marketplace onboarding as stalled. The new announcement doesn’t mention either, so for now this remains a PC release through third-party stores.
Virga does promise ongoing development and free updates for the 2024 edition, so there’s room for more to come.
The Dassault Alpha Jet for MSFS 2024 is available now through Contrail and simMarket.
MSFS Addons is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
