SEPECAT Jaguar

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SEPECAT Jaguar
Type ground attack
Manufacturer SEPECAT (Bréguet/BAC)
Maiden flight September 8 1968
Introduced 1973
Primary users Royal Air Force
Armee de l'Air
Indian Air Force

The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French ground attack aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force and several export customers, notably the Indian Air Force. The aircraft served as one of the French Air Force's main strike aircraft until July 1, 2005 when it was replaced by Dassault Rafale. It was the product of the world's first bi-national military aircraft program.

Contents

[edit] Background

The Jaguar program began in the early 1960s, in response to a British requirement for an advanced supersonic jet trainer, and a French need for a cheap, subsonic dual role trainer and attack aircraft with good short field performance. From these apparently disparate aims would come a single and entirely different aircraft: relatively high-tech, supersonic, and optimised for ground attack in a high-threat environment. It was planned as a replacement for the RAF Hawker Hunter and the Armée de l'Air F-100 Super Sabre.

Jaguar GR3A
Enlarge
Jaguar GR3A

Cross-channel negotiations led to the formation of SEPECAT (the Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'Ecole de Combat et d'Appui Tactique) in 1966 as a joint venture between Bréguet (the design leader) -now Dassault Aviation- and the British Aircraft Corporation to produce the airframe, and a separate teaming of Rolls-Royce and Turboméca to develop the Adour afterburning turbofan engine.

The first of 8 prototypes flew on September 8 1968. It was an orthodox single-seat, swept-wing, twin-engine design but with tall landing gear. It had a maximum take-off weight in the 15 tonne class and could manage a combat radius on internal fuel alone of 850 km. Maximum speed was Mach 1.6 (Mach 1.1 at sea level) and hardpoints were fitted for an external weapons load of up to 10 000 lb.

[edit] Service

Armee de l'Air Jaguar A.
Enlarge
Armee de l'Air Jaguar A.

The Armee de l'Air took delivery of the first production Jaguar in 1973, one of an eventual 160 single-seat Jaguar As. For type conversion training, France also took 40 of the two-seat Jaguar E. The RAF accepted delivery of the first of 165 single-seat Jaguar GR.1s (or Jaguar S) with 54(F) squadron in 1974. These were supplemented by 35 two-seat trainers, the Jaguar T2 (or Jaguar B according to the manufacturer's designation). In December 1983 75 RAF Jaguars were updated to the GR.1A and T.2A standard. The upgraded GR.3/A recently entered service for the RAF, the upgrade included new engines, GPS, TERPROM Terrain Referenced Navigation, and Night vision goggles compatibility. After Breguet was purchased by Dassault, the proposed Jaguar M variant, a carrier version for the French Aeronavale, was cancelled in favor of the Dassault Super Étendard.

Jaguars were also sold with some success, to a number of overseas countries. The largest single customer was the Republic of India which purchased about 40 of these aircraft and also acquired the license to manufacture 100 of them indigenously. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, India's leading aerospace agency, manufactured 100 Jaguars under the name Shamsher. The Jaguar International was an export version which was sold to Ecuador, Nigeria and Oman.

The Jaguar saw combat during the Gulf War, with the Armée de l'Air and RAF, the Kosovo War with the Armée de l'Air and the Kargil War with the Indian Air Force.

One Jaguar was converted into the Jaguar Active Control Technology (ACT) with fly-by-wire controls and aerodymanic alterations to the airframe. The aerodynamic instability improved maneuvrability and test data was used for the Eurofighter development.

[edit] Replacement

The aircraft has been updated several times and remains in front-line service with the United Kingdom and India. It is to be replaced by the Eurofighter Typhoon in the RAF and the Rafale in the Armée de l'Air. India plans to replace its Jaguar fleet by the Medium Combat Aircraft.

Demands by the UK Treasury demanding cuts in the defence budget led to reports that the Jaguar was a possible candidate for early retirement. Announcing plans for the future of the British military on July 21 2004 Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon detailed plans to withdraw the Jaguar by 2007.

Critics say the aircraft is near the end of its service life and does not have all the capabilities required of a front line jet. Proponents argue that the aircraft has been recently updated and is the most cost effective of all the RAF's fast jet force.

India on the other hand is modernizing its current Jaguar fleet and also placed an order for 29 additional upgraded Jaguar IM aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics in 2005. The Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) is expected to go under mass production in 2015 and will replace India's Jaguar fleet.

[edit] Overwing pylons

The Jaguar (in common with the Lightning) has provision for overwing pylons. Mounted on the Jaguar they are used for short-range air-to-air missiles, such as the Matra R550 Magic or the AIM-9 Sidewinder (see photo). This option frees up the under-wing pylons for other weapons and stores.

[edit] Units using the Jaguar

 Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] Royal Air Force

[edit] Indian Air Force

  • No. 3 Squadron IAF
  • No. 4 Squadron IAF
  • No. 6 Squadron IAF
  • No. 14 Squadron IAF
  • No. 16 Squadron IAF
  • No. 27 Squadron IAF

[edit] Operators

[edit] Specifications (Jaguar A)

Orthographically projected diagram of the SEPECAT Jaguar.

General characteristics

  • Crew: One
  • Length: 16.83 m (55 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 8.69 m (28 ft 6 in)
  • Height: 4.92 m (16 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 24 m² (258 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 7,000 kg (15,400 lb)
  • Loaded weight: 11,000 kg (24,250 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 15,700 kg (34,600 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 102 turbofans, 32.5 kN (7,305 lbf) each

Performance

Armament

[edit] External links

[edit] Related content

 

Comparable aircraft

Mitsubishi F-1 - MiG-27 - F/A-18

 

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