From modest beginnings in the early 1960s as an advanced trainer, the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar matured into a formidable fighter-bomber and eventually became something of a Cold War icon. It remains one of the Indian Air Force’s most important strike assets.
THE LAST JAGUARS
A DARIN II Jaguar IS releases a pair of 1,000lb iron bombs during training.
Wg Cdr (Ret) R. S. Chauhan
ALTHOUGH EXTENSIVELY MARKETED for export, the Jaguar only saw service with four foreign countries: Ecuador, Nigeria, Oman and India, albeit in large numbers with the latter. India license-produced the type domestically and is now the last Jaguar operator in the world, after Oman retired its final examples in August 2014. With a host of upgrades, the Indian Air Force (IAF) expects the type to continue in service at least until 2030.
