As a major part of the programme, the IAF has set up a committee to help it select new and more powerful engines

The original designers/manufacturers and their countries’ air forces namely, the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and the French Air Force (FAF), may have consigned it to the annals of history and their aerospace museums, but the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) love affair with the Jaguar continues. The latest order for 20 strike version Jaguars is likely to keep Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) busy at least till the next year. The IAF also has ambitious plans to inject with a massive dose of upgrades its entire Jaguar fleet covering all important departments, such as avionics and armament, besides newer and more potent power plants to transform the aircraft into meaner war-fighting machines.

Purchased in 1978 to meet the requirement for a deep penetration strike aircraft, the Jaguar has served with the IAF since the induction of the first 18 ‘on loan’ aircraft from the RAF in July 1979. The IAF received its first of 35 Jaguar IS (single-seat strike version) and five Jaguar IB (twin-seat) aircraft in 1981 from the BAe. While the RAF aircraft were returned during the period 1982-84, licensed production at HAL saw the IAF receiving another 58 Jaguar IS, 10 Jaguar IB (twin-seaters) and 12 Jaguar IM (maritime attack) versions. An additional 15 strike aircraft (reportedly a mix of strike and maritime attack versions) were ordered in 1993 with the delivery being completed in 1999.

Meanwhile, the IAF placed an order for 17 Jaguar IB twinseaters with HAL. To be primarily used to meet the training needs of the Jaguar squadrons, the aircraft are likely have an operational role as precision night-attack aircraft using laser guided bombs (LGBs). The aircraft were to be fitted with the latest avionics with embedded global positioning systems (GPS) to ensure highly accurate navigation. The delivery of these aircraft were on when the IAF placed another order for 20 strike Jaguars to raise a sixth frontline squadron.

Up The Quality Curve
The BAe-built Jaguars were fitted with the Navigation and Weapon-Aiming Sub-System (NAVWASS) avionics suite which at the time of induction brought in a mini revolution vis-àvis navigation and weapon-aiming accuracies achieved with the help of onboard computerised systems. These compared extremely well in contrast to the older systems of navigation through manual map reading and weapon aiming with the help of gyro/fixed gun-sights fitted on other aircraft in the IAF’s inventory. However, NAVWASS was the first generation system with attendant problems of reliability. Incidents of the system ‘dumping’ on the ground as well as in the air were considerable which resulted in abortive sorties.

To overcome these problems HAL-built Jaguars were fitted with the more advanced Display Attack and Ranging Inertial Navigation (DARIN) avionics suites. These featured a wide fieldof-view Smiths (GEC Avionics) Type 1301 HUDWAC (Head-UP Display & Weapon Aiming Computer), a GEC-Ferranti COMED 2045 (Combined Map & Electronic Display), a SAGEM ULISS 82 INS (Inertial Navigation System) and a LRMTS (Laser Ranger and Marked Target Seeker). The system also included a locally-designed IFF (Identification Friend/Foe), ADF (Automatic Direction Finder), radar altimeter, U/VHF R/T sets and HF/SSB equipment. The maritime-attack Jaguars IM sported nosemounted Agave radar with display facility in either the HUD or the COMED. Capable of air-to-air operations as well, the Agave was optimised for maritime air-to-surface operations.

The Jaguar was essentially designed as a low-level strike platform to deliver a reasonable weight of armament load against enemy targets located in depth. Armed with two internal 30 mm Aden guns and 150 rounds of ammunition each, the Jaguar IS carries a variety of unguided/guided ordnance such as the AS-30L ASM, BL755 cluster bombs, 1,000 lb standard and retarded bombs, Durandal and BAP-100 anti-runway bombs, Lepus flares and Matra F1 and 155 (SNEB) rocket pods. The Jaguar IS aircraft were also modified to carry Magic-II air-to-air missiles over the wing for self-protection against enemy interceptors. The Jaguar IMs used the Sea Eagle missile in the anti-shipping maritime strike role.

A fully laden Jaguar, for example, can carry a 4,000 lb bomb load with two external drop tanks and full internal fuel and attain a typical operational radius of action close to 400 km in a low-low-low sortie profile. This was more than one and a half to two times the legacy Russian fighters operating in the IAF at the time of its induction. No wonder the Jaguars were accorded pride of place in the IAF, and though overtaken by more potent aircraft, such as the Mirage 2000s and Su-30MKIs, these continue to occupy a niche place so far as overall offensive strike capability, especially in the low-level regime, is concerned.

Growing Presence
With the sobriquet of a ‘Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft’ attached to its name (even though somewhat misplaced), the Jaguars started to get inducted into some of the squadrons which were phasing out the older Canberra light bombers. The IAF Jaguar fleet formed five operational squadrons—four strike (Nos. 5, 14, 16 and 27) operating the IS variant and one maritime attack squadron (No. 6) operating the IM variant. The IB dual seat trainers were distributed equitably to meet the training needs of the individual squadrons. The earlier BAe supplies plus the HAL production amounted to 120 Jaguars for the IAF. The later induction of 15 Jaguars during the period 1993-99 brought the total delivered to the service to 135. Out of these, a total of 37 Jaguars have been lost in various accidents/mishaps in the last 31 years of the aircraft’s operational service in the IAF at an average of a little over one aircraft per year.

Significantly, the other two major air forces operating the type, namely, the RAF and the FAF, lost a total of 78 and 54 Jaguars, respectively, during their operational tenure with each service. As far as the IAF is concerned, the combined orders of 17 IB and the 20 IS variants would restore the fleet’s strength back to 135 aircraft and may give it the option of raising a sixth squadron as discussed earlier.

Evidently, the Jaguar fleet continues to be a major contributor to the IAF’s overall combat punch, especially its strike capability. Another factor which has contributed to its popularity is that the aircraft has continued to be evolved during its service life to periodically move to the next higher level of capabilities. One of the big milestones was the mating of the Jaguar with the Israeli Litening targeting pods. These pods have significantly increased the combat effectiveness of the aircraft in day/night operations while attacking ground targets with a variety of weapons, including the LGBs.