Churu crash: Why IAF continues to fly the vintage SEPECAT Jaguar

Debris at the crash site in Churu. File

Yet, the vintage jet developed in the 1960s and first inducted into the IAF in 1979 is expected to remain in service till around 2040. The IAF remains the only air force where the jet is still in service. Why?

British-French co-creation

The Jaguar was the first ever fighter jet to be built in collaboration between two countries, according to the website of Dassault Aviation. It was a response to similar needs of both Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and France’s Armée de l’Air in the 1960s, and manufactured by SEPECAT, a joint venture between France’s Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation.

Initially conceived as a jet trainer, the jet eventually ended up as a “heavy tactical support aircraft” capable of supersonic performance and tactical nuclear strike roles. As per Dassault Aviation (which acquired Breguet in 1971), this in part due to the “price-tag [being] incommensurable with original program specifications”. The Jaguar took off for the first time in 1968.

The jet features a conventional swept wing design, has two underpowered Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour engines, two 30-mm cannons, and seven hardpoints, capable of carrying a variety of rockets, missiles, and guided or unguided bombs. It has a relatively low combat ceiling of 46,000 ft and a top speed of 1.6 Mach.

The Jaguar has seen combat operations in Mauritania, Chad, Iraq, Bosnia, and Pakistan, and served as a ready nuclear delivery platform for the UK, France, and India. Over the years, the Jaguar was operated by France, the UK, Oman, Ecuador, Nigeria and India.

Reliable IAF workhorse

After signing a $1 billion deal in 1978, the IAF received its first lot of Jaguars, on loan from the RAF, beginning in 1979. The first batch of 40 purpose-built Jaguars for the IAF were delivered in 1981. Licensed versions of the jet were produced by HAL for the IAF till as recently as 2008.

In total, India has inducted more than 160 Jaguars of different variants, including the single-seat strike fighter Jaguar IS, the two-seat trainer Jaguar IB, and the naval version Jaguar IM. Of these, some 115 — 28 Jaguar IB, 79 Jaguar IS and 8 Jaguar IM — are still in service with the IAF, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS’) The Military Balance, 2024.

These aircraft have gone through multiple upgrades to enhance their capabilities, and extend their service life. That the IAF will keep these aircraft in service till 2040 is borne out of three main reasons.

* The IAF has long struggled with procurement of newer aircraft. The development and delivery of HAL Tejas, which was supposed to replace a number of ageing platforms of the IAF including Jaguar and MiG-21 Bi, has been marred with a number of issues and faced constant delays.

With its squadron strength down to only 31 (as against the sanctioned 42), the IAF simply is not in a position to phase out the Jaguar any time soon. As one opinion article in this newspaper put it: “No credible indigenous fighter aircraft being delivered on time by HAL and no viable option available to import these platforms due to the government push to adhere to atmanirbharta.”

This has meant that the IAF has to, for the time being, make do with what the aircraft it has, and extend their service life as much as possible until a more reliable pipeline for procurement and development of fighters is put in place.

* The Jaguar remains a capable fighter jet in its designated “deep penetration” role. It remains India’s primary air-borne delivery mechanism of nuclear bombs, and thus an integral component of its nuclear triad.

Despite having an underpowered engine which is prone to failures and manual errors, the jet performs well at lower altitudes. And with multiple improvements made to its dated avionics suite, radar systems, and other electronic components, it remains an strike weapon.

Around 60 Jaguars are at the moment being upgraded to the latest DARIN III variant: these will be fitted with modern Israeli radars and American AIM Sidewinder missiles. These are expected to remain in service for at least another decade-and-a-half. The rest will be retired by the early 2030s.

In May, Jaguars saw combat during Operation Sindoor, when it was reportedly used for long-range air-to-air engagement with the Pakistan Air Force as well as striking air bases deep in the country.

* The Jaguar is also an economical and easy-to-maintain jet, especially compared to more modern aircraft. For instance, by some estimates, an engine change is possible in only 30 minutes, allowing for quick turnaround times during intensive operations.

While the jet being phased out in other militaries has created some trouble while finding spares, the IAF in 2018 acquired 40-odd decommissioned aircraft and cannibalised them for spares. This is expected to keep the Jaguar combat-ready for the foreseeable future.