The SEPECAT Jaguar was a single-seat, ground-attack aircraft, which was in service with the French Air Force and the RAF between 1973 and 2007. It was the mainstay strike aircraft of the British Royal Air Force during the Cold War period. By the time it was retired in 2007, it had successfully participated in a number of armed conflicts around world. It took part in the Chad-Libyan War in 1978, being flown by French pilots of the French intervention force in Africa, in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In Operation Desert Storm, 12 RAF's Jaguars flew 618 sorties between January and February 1991.
Designed and developed by the French and British company, SEPECAT, the prototype of the Jaguar flew for the first time on September 8, 1968. Having undergone many flight tests, it would be introduced into service with the French Air Force on August 20, 1978. A total of 543 Jaguar aircraft would be produced. They included the Jaguar GR.Mk 1A, GR.Mk 1B, and T versions. The last one was a two-seat trainer used by both the British and French Air Force. This aircraft was also used by the Indian, Oman, and Ecuadorian Air Force.
Technical Description
The SEPECAT Jaguar was a single-seat, twin-engine, supersonic jet aircraft. It was fitted with swept shoulder wing. It had an all-metal fuselage and a conventional tail assembly, whose tailplane was also swept back at the same angle the wing leading edge was. The tail fin fairing was equipped with a radar warning receiver which warned the pilot when his plane was being illuminated by enemy radar. The aircraft had a tricycle-type, retractable landing gear. It was was powered by two Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofan engines, with afterburner. Each one of them provided slightly more than 8,000 pounds of thrust.
Specifications
Type: strike-bomber aircraft
Length: 15.52 m (50 feet, 11 inches)
Wing Span: 8.69 m (28 feet, 6 inches)
Wing Area: 24.18 m2 (260 square feet)
Height: 4.92 m (16 feet, 2 inches)
Power Plant: two 8,045-lb, Rolls Royce/Turbomeca Adour turbofan engines.
Maximum Speed: Mach 1.5 (1,690 km/h = 1,050 mph)
Combat Radius: 852 km (529 miles)
Service Ceiling: 14,020 m (45,997 feet)
Armament: two 30-mm ADEN cannons; two air-to-air Sidewinder missiles on overwing pylons; 4,534 kg (9,996-lb) of bombs.
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| A Jaguar GR.Mk 1A in flight over England |
