As the last remaining operator of the platform today, the Indian Air Force is seeking to purchase spare aircraft from Oman in order to keep its aging, Anglo-French–built SEPECAT Jaguar jets in service, aircraft that were retired by Oman back in 2014. According to reports from local media, the Arab country once operated a fleet of 27 aircraft of this model that had previously served with the Royal Air Force (RAF), but following a series of accidents this number would have been reduced to just around 14 airframes potentially usable by New Delhi for the stated purpose.
More specifically, it is worth recalling that Oman inducted its first Jaguars starting in 1977, adding to its inventory 20 single-seat variants, five two-seat aircraft, and two additional airframes intended for spares. It remains unclear which aircraft make up the group of roughly 14 still considered operational, or whether, if necessary, the airframes lost in accidents are still available to be dismantled so their parts can be used to reinforce the Indian Air Force’s inventory. In any case, even those aircraft that remain intact would be disassembled on Omani territory for use as spare parts.
In this regard, it is also important to note that India has operated the Jaguar since 1978, assigning it a deep-strike role. In an initial phase, the country received a batch of 18 aircraft transferred directly by the RAF, followed by another 40 delivered by the company then known as British Aerospace. To further expand its fleet, India later added 128 additional aircraft built locally by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under a technology-transfer agreement; the last of these rolled off the production line in 2008, at a time when neither France nor the United Kingdom still had active production of the type.
On the other hand, it should be highlighted that, should the currently discussed deal be finalized, this would not be the first time India has resorted to cannibalizing fleets retired by allied countries to sustain its own Jaguar force. In particular, amid growing difficulties in obtaining spare parts, it was in 2018 that New Delhi received some thirty airframes from France at no cost, aside from transportation expenses; Paris had already withdrawn them from service in 2005. To this day, these parts help sustain the six squadrons operated by India, each comprising roughly 20 aircraft.
In addition, the domestic industry has also undertaken a series of modernization efforts for the Indian SEPECAT Jaguar fleet, known as the three phases of the Display Attack Ranging and Inertial Navigation (DARIN) program. Originally, as the name suggests, these efforts focused on equipping the aircraft with new Sagem navigation systems, modern cockpit displays, and a new computer to facilitate the integration of additional weaponry. In a subsequent phase known as DARIN II, launched in the 2000s, the aircraft also received a laser targeting system developed by Thales, as well as a new Israeli-made enemy jamming suppression system and modern countermeasures, among other upgrades.
Later on, in 2008, India launched the DARIN III program with the objective of equipping the Jaguars with a new Elta EL/M-2052 AESA radar, also developed by Israeli industry, making the Jaguar the first aircraft in Indian service to field such capabilities. Alongside this, plans included the integration of a new mission computer and the replacement of the aging Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour engines with Honeywell F125-IN models, although the latter was ultimately canceled in 2019 due to significant delays and cost overruns. With what may be an overly optimistic goal, India hopes to keep these aircraft in service until 2050, although the retirement process is expected to begin much earlier.
Regardless, the extensive efforts to keep the Jaguar fleet operational highlight deeper structural challenges faced by the Indian Air Force, particularly in meeting strategic requirements for the number of aircraft needed to form the 42 squadrons mandated by the government. At present, the country fields only 29 squadrons, a situation further exacerbated by the recent retirement of its now-obsolete MiG-21 fighters. Moreover, procurement processes for up to 114 new aircraft are moving slowly, with no clear platform yet selected.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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