Jaguar

A definitive history of the SEPECAT Jaguar, from Cold War strike jet to global combat workhorse.

The SEPECAT Jaguar was designed to meet the requirements of the Armée de l'Air and the Royal Air Force for a light tactical fighter and a supersonic two-seat training aircraft. First flown in September 1968, the Jaguar went on to serve in both air forces for forty years. Jaguars were exported and licence-built in India, where they remain in frontline service today. Jaguars have also been acquired by the air forces of Ecuador, Oman and Nigeria.

Best remembered today as a Cold War attack aircraft, the Jaguar offered a potent mix of high speed at low altitude, excellent navigational and weapons accuracy and a diverse payload of air-to-ground ordnance including tactical nuclear weapons and laser-guided bombs and missiles. While the Jaguars of the RAF based in West Germany helped to deter the Warsaw Pact during the 1970s and 1980s, the Armée de l'Air used their Jaguars in combat in Mauritania and Chad in West Africa. Both air forces participated in the international coalition following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the Jaguar acquitting itself well during Operation Desert Storm. During the 1990s and 2000s, Jaguars served as peacekeepers in the skies over Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Sri Lanka. The Jaguar has also seen combat in other faraway places as diverse as the Andes and Kashmir in the Himalayas.

Drawing on archival research, Jaguar: A Development and Operational History describes the history behind the requirements that gave birth to the Jaguar, its design and technical development, and service use in peacetime and war; including the Jaguars that have served in Ecuador, Oman, India and Nigeria. The stories behind the export deals that never came to fruition are covered, as are the numerous design studies during the 1970s for improved Jaguars to meet Air Staff Target 396 and the Big Wing Jaguar. Detailed appendices are included for all the Jaguars ordered by the Armée de l'Air and the RAF.

Illustrated throughout with photographs, drawings and specially commissioned artwork, Jaguar: A Development and Operational History is a comprehensive reference book on the technical and operational history of the Jaguar.