F.1300 Jet Squalus

The Promavia F.1300 Jet Squalus was a twin-seat light jet aircraft designed by the Italian aerospace engineer Stelio Frati and produced by Promavia in Belgium with support from the Belgian government. It was intended to be operated as a trainer aircraft in both military and civilian markets, as well as a maritime surveillance, target tow, and light attack platform. Development commenced during the early 1980s upon Frati's concept gaining the interest of various entities within Belgium that came together to form Promavia. The firm sought to produce the Jet Squalus on a commercial basis upon the completion of development; considerable backing was provided by the Belgian government. On 30 April 1987, the first prototype made its maiden flight; it was intended to be followed by a further two prototypes before serial production would commence. In addition to the flight test programme, the first prototype was used as a public demonstrator and for evaluation purposes for prospective customers, such as the Belgian Air Force. Various opportunities were sought out for the Jet Squalus, including the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) programme of the United States Air Force and United States Navy, for which the dedicated ATTA 3000 variant was proposed. Several agreements and partnerships were announced with organisations such as the Belgian flag carrier Sabena, Portugal's Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronautico (OGMA), the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and even the Russian aircraft manufacturer Mikoyan. However, such agreements did not ultimately result in orders being secured and no production run ever took place. Only the first aircraft ever flew, a further two prototypes were believed to have been produced.

Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.