The
Jaguar is a
strike fighter similar to the
MiG-27 Flogger and
F-4 Phantom. It was jointly developed by
Breguet and the
British Aircraft Corporation, and currently serves in the
Royal Air Force and
Armée de l’Air, as well as in the air forces of
India,
Nigeria,
Oman, and
Ecuador. India also produces Jaguar copies called
Shamshers.
The Jaguar program began in 1965, when both Britain and France's air forces needed an advanced training aircraft. Breguet and BAC founded a joint company called SEPECAT (Société européenne de production de l’avion d’école de combat and d’appui tactique, or European Company for the Production of Aircraft for the School of Combat and Tactical Support). Dassault later acquired Breguet, and BAC became British Aerospace, but SEPECAT remained intact for the duration of the program.
While the first Jaguar prototype took to the sky in September 1968, the aircraft didn't enter service until 1972, owing to disagreements between the two countries over whose contractors should make the parts. In the end, British Jaguars were built with British parts, and French Jaguars were built with French parts, making them subtly different but more or less identical to the untrained eye. During those four years, the Jaguar evolved from a simple jet trainer into an advanced close air support war machine.
France and Britain each ordered two hundred Jaguars. While the RAF still operates a large portion of its original Jaguar fleet alongside its Panavia Tornadoes, the French have replaced most of their Jaguars with Mirages and Dassault Rafales. India imported forty Jaguars and built 110 more under license.
Specifications
Powerplant: 2x Turbomeca/Rolls-Royce Adour 104 turbofans, 7,305 lb of thrust with afterburner
Wingspan: 28'6" (8,69m)
Length: 55'2.5" (16,83m)
Height: 15'9" (4,8m)
Empty Weight: 7.5 tons
Max Weight: 15 tons
Fuel capacity : 4,200 liters (7,800 with drop tanks) plus in-flight refuelling
Top speed: Mach 1.35 (990 mph, 1.593 kph) at 36,000ft (11 km)
Ceiling: 40,000 ft (12.2 km)