The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the only operator of this low-flying, sea-skimming fighter bomber. The joke about the twin-engine fighter aircraft is that it can fly only because of the earth’s curvature. But the war bird that forms an important part of India’s nuclear triad has completed 45 years in service, with adversaries continuously underestimating the edge of its sword.
SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French supersonic attack aircraft designed for close air support and nuclear strike roles. Christened ‘Shamsher,’ meaning Sword of Justice in Persian, Jaguars seemed irrelevant in the age of short-range surface-to-air Missiles as the fighter jets had to go higher to deliver stand-off weapons.
However, the advent of long-range surface-to-air Missiles has made high-flying aircraft more vulnerable, making low-flying tactics relevant to evading radars. Despite their low thrust and the IAF’s lack of investment in new engines, Jaguars will be relevant for at least the next decade.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has further underscored the relevance of low-level penetration in contested airspace. Ukrainian MiG-29s, Su-24, Su-25, and Su-27 fighters invariably fly to their standoff weapon launch points at very low altitudes, below the adversary’s radar horizon, to escape detection. Nearing the launch point, they zoom up, launch their weapons, and once again “hit the deck.”
Jaguar’s “lo-lo-lo combat radius of action” is 350 nautical miles (650 kilometers), which means it can travel this distance while flying low. This is one of the highest for low-flying strike aircraft.
The SEPECAT Jaguar is a single-seater, swept-wing, twin-engine, transonic attack aircraft developed in the 1960s. Its trainer has a twin-seater configuration.
Before 1971, the IAF had formulated requirements for what came to be known as Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft. The requirement was to “effectively locate and hit a well-defended target deep inside hostile territory and recover with safety; the strike aircraft necessarily had to possess good weapons load, supersonic performance, long-range at low level all the way, a sophisticated nav/attack system and an ability to defend itself when required.”
The Jaguars were inducted into the IAF in 1979, and their precise navigation, weapon aiming, and attack systems were a quantum leap in the technology existing in the IAF at that time. What impressed the IAF most about the aircraft was its ability to operate from short, semi-prepared airstrips and the twin-engine, which increased its survivability.
At USD 1 billion, it was one of the most expensive defense deals of that time. Many people still question how Jaguar fits in the IAF’s strategy, considering they have never seen action.
However, as recently as 2019, when the IAF undertook the Balakot strike inside Pakistan, the Jaguars used a decoy to bait the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 and take them away from the target area. The Jaguar contingent took off from Ambala air base and joined the 2 Su-30MKI, making a high-speed flight towards Bahawalpur, Pakistan, as decoys.
It was intended to show that Bhawalpur was about to be attacked by Indian fighter jets. The F-16s took the bait and moved to stop the Jaguars. The Jaguars never crossed the Line of Actual Control, but it cleared the path for the Mirage fighter jets to breach Pakistani airspace.
The IAF operates around 120 Jaguars across six squadrons. Its No. 5 squadron, known as “Tuskers,” and No. 14 squadron, known as “Bulls,” are based in Ambala.
The No. 6 squadron, known as “Dragons,” based in Jamnagar, operates a maritime variant of the Jaguar. The No. 224 squadron, known as “Warlords,” is also based in Jamnagar. Gorakhpur houses the No. 16 squadron, known as “Black Cobras,” and the No. 27 squadron, known as “Flaming Arrows.”
Jaguars used their altitude-adapted navigation and strike systems during Operation Meghdoot in 1984, which secured the Siachen Glacier for India. During the Kargil war in 1999, the Jaguars played a significant role in reconnaissance and high-altitude precision targeting support.
Air Marshal Anil Khosla (retired), former Vice Chief of the IAF and himself a Jaguar pilot, told the EurAsian Times: “The IAF has extended the operational life of the Jaguars with mid-life upgrades, including modern EW suites, radar warning receivers (RWRs), smart weapons, and avionics and survivability systems. Despite aging, modernization has ensured that Jaguars remain a cost-effective strike option, complementing newer fighter jets in India’s inventory.”
Khosla commends Jaguar’s “adaptation, resilience, and strategic significance.”
Jaguar – A Truly Indian Aircraft?
Jaguar was manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), an Indian aircraft maker. It is a truly Indian aircraft in the sense that its airframe, mission computer, and source code are all made in India.
In 1979, alongside the direct supply of Jaguars from Britain, a comprehensive transfer-of-technology agreement was signed to manufacture Jaguars by HAL. A workforce of 40,000 was spread over seven major plants in different parts of India, and HAL was to manufacture the Jaguar, its Adour engine, and much of the avionics and subsystems at the Aircraft and Engine Divisions at Bangalore, with Avionics and Accessories at the Hyderabad and Lucknow divisions, respectively.
The HAL’s Accessories Complex at Hyderabad and Lucknow was responsible for producing other Jaguar avionics, including the Radar Warning Receiver, stabilization and suppression system, and notch aerial system, plus various connectors, engine controls, and amplifier system. The HAL Lucknow also produced the Jaguar’s ejection seats, hydraulics, and fuel systems.
While the majority of HAL-built Jaguars would have the standard Ferranti laser ranger and marked target seeker fitted in the nose, eight aircraft were fitted with the Thomson-CSF Agave multi-mode 1/J band radar for maritime role.
The first HAL-assembled Jaguar made its first flight in March 1982, and the Indian Jaguar came to be known as the DARIN (Display Attack and Ranging Inertial Navigation) version. The indigenously developed DARIN incorporated second-generation gyros and computers in conjunction with sensor, electronic, and navigation-attack processors. Jaguars have now been equipped with DARIN-III.
The DARIN III includes an open-system architecture mission computer, multi-functional displays, an engine and flight instrument system, a new fire control radar, a geodetic height correction system, and an inertial navigation system with satellite navigation.
The DARIN III Jaguars have also been equipped with the Israeli EL/M-2052, which improves its defensibility against electronic warfare jamming. By having multiple transceiver modules (TRM), each transmitting on a different radio frequency, the EL/M-2052 also reduces the probability of enemy radar warning receivers.
In other words, the Jaguar DARIN III would be more difficult to detect and jam.
EL/M-2052 is an advanced multi-mode radar capable of air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-sea tracking, targeting, and engagement. Elta has not disclosed the radar’s range or the number of targets it can track and simultaneously engage.
In fact, the IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh opined that the IAF ought to draw from its experience of Jaguars during the acquisition of 114 Medium Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA).
“The technology will then (if the Jaguar model is followed) be available to us to upgrade. Like Jaguar, we purchased from abroad and started manufacturing with HAL. We have done so many modifications and weapons integration with that. So MRFA, whichever aircraft will be something like Rafale plus. Because the requirements are the same. But we will have indigenous content in it and can integrate indigenous weapons in it,” the IAF chief said in October 2024.
The Jaguar’s Indian avionics make it the most eligible platform for all sorts of Indigenous weapons. The IAF tested the smart anti-airfield weapon (SAAW), which can target enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxiways, and runways.
Jaguars To Get Same Missiles As F-35s
The IAF is equipping Jaguars with MBDA’s Advance Short Range Air-To-Air Missile (ASRAAM). The NGCCM (next-gen close combat missile) will replace the aging Matra R550 Magic on the Jaguar strike aircraft’s over-the-wing pylon.
ASRAAM has an infrared homing system that can track and hone in on a target range inside the line of sight. The missile weighs 88 kg and has a range of more than 25 km.
“IIR (Imaging Infrared) is the most advanced IR missile. There is no information on the target when IR missiles are launched since they are passive. With a Helmet-mounted Sighting Display, pilots can cue the missile head to look toward the target without turning the aircraft on that side. This makes off-boresight launch possible,” an official told the EurAsian Times.
“The missiles also make it possible without input from onboard radar making ‘over the shoulder’ shots possible as no radar looks behind,” the official added.
ASRAAM is in service with the Royal Air Force as its Within Visual Range (WVR) Dominance weapon. The missile has been fully integrated with Eurofighter Typhoon, Tornado, and F/A-18. Now, ASRAAM is also being integrated into the F-35 Lightning II.
The IR missiles, also known as fire-and-forget, will enable Jaguars to successfully engage various types of combat aircraft, transport platforms, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
