The Jaguar is an attack aircraft designed in the 1960s by a British-French consortium. It was created in response to the need of the French and British air forces for a supersonic trainer and light attack aircraft. Due to the converging requirements, it was decided to conduct the work jointly, establishing the SEPECAT consortium in 1966 (Societe Europeenne de Production de l’Avion d’Ecole de Combat et d’Appui Tactique, i.e. European Company for the Production of a Combat Training and Tactical Support Aircraft). This was the second such joint British-French venture (after the supersonic airliner Concorde).
The airframe design, created according to the area rule, was based on the French Breguet Br121 project. The work share from both countries was 50% each. Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca also undertook joint work on the Adour turbojet engine, intended to power the new aircraft, which received the name Jaguar. France and Great Britain had somewhat different requirements, so the versions built for both countries differed in equipment and armament. Aircraft built for France in the two-seat trainer version were designated Jaguar E, and the single-seat combat version Jaguar A. British single-seat aircraft were designated Jaguar S, and two-seat ones Jaguar B. The first prototype (two-seat) was first flown in France in 1968. Serial production began in 1972 – the French version in Toulouse, and the British in Warton.
As a result of the oil crisis following the Yom Kippur War in 1973, interest in the trainer version declined, and the emphasis shifted to production of the combat version. For France, 160 combat and 40 trainer versions were produced; for Great Britain, 165 combat versions (whose designation was changed to Jaguar GR.1) and 38 trainer versions (redesignated Jaguar T.2). Jaguars of both countries were capable of carrying nuclear weapons. British aircraft had significantly richer equipment than French ones, including a laser rangefinder and target illuminator housed in the front of the fuselage. In addition to Great Britain and France, Jaguars were also purchased by the air forces of India, Ecuador, Oman and Nigeria. The combat debut of French Jaguars took place in 1977 during a stabilisation mission in Mauritania. Later, French Jaguars were used several times in Chad against rebels supported by Libya.
RAF Jaguars, stationed in Great Britain and West Germany, were to play a significant role in repelling a potential Warsaw Pact attack on NATO countries. Aircraft belonging to both countries also took part in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq in 1991 and in stabilisation missions over the countries of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Jaguars were withdrawn from service in the French Air Force in 2001. RAF Jaguars were modernised several times and remained in service until 2007.
The exhibited aircraft, serial number XX 730, belonged to No. 6 Squadron RAF. It was produced in 1974 and was operated until 1985, after which it was transferred as a teaching aid to the RAF Technical School at Cosford. In February 2010 it was added to the Museum’s collection.
| Wingspan | 8.69 m |
| Length | 16.8 m |
| Takeoff weight | 15 500 kg |
| Maximum speed | 1700 km/h |
| Ceiling | 14 300 m |
| Range | 2820 km |
| Armament | 2 Aden 30 mm cannons and up to 4540 kg of suspended weapons on four underwing pylons and one under-fuselage pylon (bombs, rocket launchers, guided missiles, reconnaissance pods and auxiliary fuel tanks) |
| Engine | Rolls Royce/Turbomeca Adour 104 bypass turbojets with 35.75 kN thrust with afterburner |
