Cost vs combat edge: Future of IAF's Jaguar fleet is hanging in the balance

If plan does not work out, IAF's 110-odd Jaguar fighters will start retiring by 2024

Topics
Indian Air Force | Jaguar | Indian Army

Ajai Shukla  |  New Delhi 

The future of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) six squadrons of Jaguar strike fighters is hanging in the balance. The IAF has regarded the Jaguar as under-powered ever since it entered service in the late-1970s.

Now, wear and tear on its twin Rolls-Royce Adour 804/811 engines has reduced the aircraft’s thrust even further — by an estimated 15-20 per cent. As a result, the Jaguar faces difficulty in carrying out its demanding combat role: Flying low and fast, deep into enemy territory; bombing its ground target accurately in a single pass and then screaming ...

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First Published: Fri, June 18 2021. 06:10 IST
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