SEPECAT Jaguar

The SEPECAT Jaguar is a Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force.

Originally conceived in the 1960s as a jet trainer with a light ground attack capability, the requirement for the aircraft soon changed to include supersonic performance, reconnaissance and tactical nuclear strike roles. A carrier-based variant was also planned for French service, but this was cancelled in favor of the cheaper Dassault Super Étendard. The airframes were manufactured by SEPECAT (Société Européenne de Production de l'avion Ecole de Combat et d'Appui Tactique), a joint venture between Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation, one of the first major joint-Anglo-French military aircraft programs.

The Jaguar was exported to India, Oman, Ecuador and Nigeria. With various air forces, the Jaguar was used in numerous conflicts and military operations in Mauritania, Chad, Iraq, Bosnia, and Pakistan, as well as providing a ready nuclear delivery platform for Britain, France, and India throughout the latter half of the Cold War and beyond. In the Gulf War, the Jaguar was praised for its reliability and was a valuable coalition resource. The aircraft served with the French Air Force as the main strike/attack aircraft until 1 July 2005, and with the Royal Air Force until the end of April 2007. It was replaced by the Panavia Tornado and the Eurofighter Typhoon in the RAF and the Dassault Rafale in the French Air Force.

Variants

 * Jaguar A: Single-seat all-weather tactical strike, ground-attack fighter version for the French Air Force, two prototypes and 160 production aircraft built.
 * Jaguar B/Jaguar T2: Two-seat training version for the Royal Air Force, one prototype and 38 production aircraft built. Capable of secondary role of strike and ground attack. Two flown by Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) and one by Institute of Aviation Medicine. Equipped for inflight refuelling and with a single Aden cannon.
 * Jaguar T2A: Jaguar T2 upgrade similar to GR1A, 14 conversions from T2.
 * Jaguar T2B: Two Jaguar T2A aircraft given TIALD capability.
 * Jaguar T4: Jaguar T2A upgraded to Jaguar 96 standard.
 * Jaguar E: Two-seat training version for the French Air Force, two prototypes and 40 production aircraft built.
 * Jaguar S/Jaguar GR1: Single-seat all-weather tactical strike, ground-attack fighter version for the Royal Air Force, 165 built. Equipped with NAVigation And Weapon Aiming Sub-System (NAVWASS) for attacking without use of radar. Ferranti "laser ranger and marked target seeker" added to nose during production Engines replaced by Adour Mk 104 from 1978.
 * Jaguar GR1A: Jaguar GR1 with navigation (NAVWASS II), chaff/flare, ECM and Sidewinder capability upgrades, 75 conversions from GR1.
 * Jaguar GR1B: Ten GR1 aircraft modified to carry TIALD pods.
 * Jaguar GR3: Jaguar 96 avionics upgrade to GR1A.
 * Jaguar GR3A: Jaguar 97 avionics upgrade to GR1B/GR3.
 * Jaguar M: Single-seat naval strike prototype for the French Navy, one built.
 * '''Jaguar Active Control Technology: One Jaguar converted into a research aircraft.
 * Jaguar MAX: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-developed upgrade for the Indian Air Force S, M and B variant fleet. The upgrade suite was unveiled in February 2019 and includes new avionics, a reworked cockpit and integration of modern armaments.
 * Jaguar International: Export versions based on either the Jaguar S or Jaguar B.
 * Jaguar ES: Export version of the Jaguar S for the Ecuadorian Air Force, ten built.
 * Jaguar EB: Export version of the Jaguar B for the Ecuadorian Air Force, two built.
 * Jaguar S(O): Export version of the Jaguar S for the Royal Air Force of Oman, twenty built.
 * Jaguar B(O): Export version of the Jaguar B for the Royal Air Force of Oman, four built.
 * Jaguar IS: Single-seat all-weather tactical strike, ground-attack fighter for the Indian Air Force, thirty-five built by BAe and eighty-nine built by HAL (Shamser).
 * Jaguar IB: Two-seat training version for the Indian Air Force, five built by BAe and twenty-seven built by HAL.
 * Jaguar IM: Single-seat maritime strike aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Fitted with Agave radar and capable of carrying Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, twelve built by HAL. Upgraded with EL/M-2052 AESA radar.
 * Jaguar SN: Export version of the Jaguar S for the Nigerian Air Force, thirteen built.
 * Jaguar BN: Export version of the Jaguar B for the Nigerian Air Force, five built.

Users

 * Ecuador
 * Ecuadorian Air Force
 * France
 * French Air Force
 * Marine Nationale
 * India
 * Indian Air Force
 * Nigeria
 * Nigerian Air Force
 * Oman
 * Royal Air Force of Oman
 * United Kingdom
 * Royal Air Force