Jackson, James Sepecat Jaguar. A Development and Operational History

A volume from the "Famous British Aircraft" series. The Sepecat Jaguar was developed to fulfil the requirements of the French and British Air Forces for a light tactical fighter and a two-seat supersonic training aircraft. The Jaguar first flew in September 1968 and served in both air forces for forty years. Jaguars were exported and built under licence in India, where they are still in frontline service today. Jaguars have also been acquired by the air forces of Ecuador, Oman and Nigeria. Most remembered today as a Cold War attack aircraft, the Jaguar offered a potent combination of high speed at low altitude, excellent navigation and weapons accuracy and a diverse payload of air-to-ground assets, including tactical nuclear weapons and laser-guided bombs and missiles. While the RAF's Jaguars based in West Germany helped deter the Warsaw Pact in the 1970s and 1980s, the Armée de l'Air used its Jaguars in combat in Mauritania and Chad in West Africa. Both air forces took part in the international coalition following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, with the Jaguar performing well in Operation Desert Storm. In the 1990s and 2000s, Jaguars served as peacekeepers over Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Sri Lanka. The Jaguar was also deployed in locations as diverse as the Andes and Kashmir in the Himalayas. Drawing on archive research, the book tells the story behind the requirements from which the Jaguar emerged, its design and technical development, and its use in peacetime and wartime, including Jaguars used in Ecuador, Oman, India and Nigeria. The stories behind the export deals that never materialised are covered, as well as the numerous design studies in the 1970s for improved Jaguars to fulfil the Air Staff Target 396 and the Big Wing Jaguar. Detailed appendices are included for all Jaguars ordered by the Armée de l'Air and the RAF. Jaguar. The book is illustrated throughout with photographs, drawings and specially commissioned graphics. It is a comprehensive reference work on the technical and operational history of the Jaguar.