How the SEPECAT Jaguar Went from a Jet Trainer to an Attack Aircraft

Posted by Plane historia on November 22nd, 2022

During the 1970s, the world was a very different place. For example, jumbo jets were just starting to appear in commercial airlines fleets, and cell phones were still a decade away from being invented. While things have obviously changed quite a bit since then, there are some aspects of that era that remain relevant today. The Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was at its peak and several conflicts took place in various regions across the world, ranging from Central America to Africa and Asia. In this tense environment, both superpowers competed with each other by producing new military aircraft as well as upgrading existing models and introducing them into their armed forces. That’s where we introduce you to the SEPECAT Jaguar; an attack aircraft developed jointly by France and Britain that served with distinction throughout the 1980s and 1990s in several countries – notably France, India, Italy, Jordan and Britain – before ultimately being retired from service nearly everywhere it was used.

Introduction of the Jaguar

The Jaguar was a British-French-Spanish jet fighter and attack aircraft that was developed and manufactured by SEPECAT (Société Européenne de Production de l’Avion et de la Cyclone) during the 1970s and 1980s. It was jointly designed and developed as a replacement for the Hawker Hunter and the Fouga Magister jets that were used by the French Air Force and British Royal Air Force as a trainer aircraft and as an attack aircraft, respectively. The Jaguar first flew in July 1971 and deliveries commenced in 1977, with a total of 578 examples of the type being built. The Jaguar was operated by several European air forces and export customers, and it also formed the basis for the Indian Jaguar IMEWS (Indian Multi-role Electronically-scanned Weapon System) variant. The Jaguar was retired from service in all of the countries in which it was used by the mid-2000s.

Background

During the 1960s and early 1970s, the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was in full swing, with tensions being perhaps at their worst than they had ever been before. Several conflicts took place in various regions across the world, ranging from Central America to Africa and Asia. This tense environment led the U.S. and the Soviet Union to compete with each other by trying to outspend and out-produce each other. The goal of both superpowers was to develop new military aircraft as well as upgrade existing models to try and maintain a technological edge over each other. This environment saw the introduction of aircraft such as the General Dynamics F-111 and the McDonnell Douglas F-15 fighter aircraft, as well as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the Tupolev Tu-95, which was a long-range bomber that first flew in 1952.

Developing the Jaguar

The SEPECAT (Société Européenne de Production de l’Avion et de la Cyclone) consortium was formed in 1966 between the British Aircraft Corporation and the French Dassault Aviation companies, with the intention of designing and developing a new lightweight strike aircraft and a two-seat trainer to go with it. Engineers from both companies worked together to design and develop a new aircraft and by the early 1970s, the two parties signed a deal to produce 50 two-seat trainers and 420 single-seat fighter-bomber variants for the French Air Force as well as 50 two-seat trainers for the British Royal Air Force.

The Jaguar: From trainer to attack aircraft

Since the Jaguar was developed to replace the Fouga Magister, which was itself a successor to the Hawker Hunter jet trainer and attack aircraft, it was fully expected that the Jaguar would also be used as a jet trainer. That is, until events involving the Soviet Union and its allies took place. The first major event that led to the Jaguar being re-purposed as an attack aircraft was the Soviet-Afghan War, which began in 1979 and concluded with an official ceasefire in 1989. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, which led Britain and the U.S. to supply arms to the Afghan Mujahideen rebels. During this conflict, British and American military personnel also trained Afghan pilots and supplied them with a variety of equipment, including the Hawker Siddeley Andover and the Fairchild C-123 Provider transport aircraft. The Hawker Siddeley Andover was a variant of the Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprop airliner, while the Fairchild C-123 Provider was a military transport aircraft that first flew in 1956 and was used extensively during the Vietnam War.

Why did the Jaguar switch from trainer to attack aircraft?

As the Soviet-Afghan War progressed, the British and American military personnel who were training Afghan pilots would regularly use Hawker Siddeley Andover aircraft as improvised bombers during raids against Soviet forces. This led to the British-built Andover aircraft being shot down and destroyed by Soviet SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) on multiple occasions. In the aftermath of these losses, the British government decided to provide the Afghan resistance fighters with a more robust aircraft that could be used for both transport and bombing duties.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the British government decided to replace the Hawker Siddeley Andover aircraft with the SEPECAT Jaguar, which was a single-seat fighter-bomber aircraft that had been designed and developed as a two-seat trainer. In addition, the Jaguar also replaced the Fairchild C-123 Provider transport aircraft in British service. The SEPECAT Jaguar saw service with several European air forces and export customers and it also formed the basis for the Indian Jaguar IMEWS variant. The Jaguar was retired from service in all of the countries in which it was used by the mid-2000s.