The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to get over 20 single-seater, twin-engine, supersonic ground-attack aircraft, Jaguar, from the Oman Air Force to be dismantled and used as spares.
India is one of the few countries that still operates the Anglo-French supersonic attack aircraft, christened ‘Shamsher’, with many license-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The aircraft was first inducted into the IAF in 1979. The IAF, which is facing a severe squadron shortage, currently operates a fleet of about 115-120 SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft in six squadrons.
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One of the challenges faced by the IAF while maintaining the aging Jaguar fleet is finding spare parts for the deep penetration strike bomber.
Former Vice Chief of the IAF Air Marshal Anil Khosla (retired) was quoted as saying to 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, modernisation has ensured that Jaguars remain a cost-effective strike option, complementing newer fighter jets in India’s inventory.”
As the global production of Jaguar jets has been discontinued, finding spares has been a challenge. Oman, which has also reportedly retired the aircraft, has a robust defence partnership with India, marked by a recent MoU for collaboration in procurement, joint exercises, training, and information sharing, is transferring the Jaguars to India to be broken up and used as spares, according to a Timesnow News report.
In the past, France too had shared some nearly 30 retired Jaguars to India to be used for spares.
