LONDON — The United Kingdom has transferred nine retired SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), while Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to hold 42 retired Jaguars nearly 20 years after the Royal Air Force (RAF) withdrew the type from service.
The figures were disclosed in a written parliamentary answer released on July 3 by UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard, responding to a question from Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty on the remaining Jaguar GR1 and T2 aircraft in the MoD inventory.
Pollard said nine Jaguars had already been transferred to India, including five GR1 variants and four T2 variants.
He also confirmed the Ministry of Defence still holds 42 Jaguar airframes. Of those, 13 are GR1 aircraft and none are T2s. The parliamentary response did not identify the remaining 29 aircraft by variant, though they are understood to include later GR3 models and T4 trainers. None of the aircraft retained by the UK are flight-capable.
Most of those airframes are used as ground instructional aircraft at RAF Cosford, where engineering technicians train on aircraft maintenance and systems after the Jaguar's retirement from RAF service in 2007.
India is now the only country operating the Jaguar. Built under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited since the early 1980s, the aircraft, known as the Shamsher, remains in service with about 120 aircraft across six IAF squadrons based at Ambala, Gorakhpur and Jamnagar.
The fleet continues to perform the deep-penetration strike role as the Indian Air Force operates with 29 fighter squadrons, below its authorised strength of 42. With Jaguar production and component manufacturing closed for years, India has relied on retired aircraft from former operators to maintain the fleet.
The latest transfer follows reports in mid-June that former RAF Jaguars were prepared for shipment from a British port. The consignment included the nine aircraft along with more than 150 categories of spare parts and components.
India has sourced retired Jaguars before. France transferred 31 aircraft free of charge in 2018, while Oman supplied retired airframes, Rolls-Royce Adour engines and thousands of spare parts after withdrawing the type from service. A proposal to replace the Jaguars' engines with Honeywell powerplants was later dropped after costs were estimated at nearly $16 million per aircraft.
The aircraft transferred from the UK will be dismantled for serviceable components, including avionics, landing gear and hydraulic systems. Those parts will support the IAF's DARIN-III upgrade programme, which adds updated cockpit displays and improved weapons integration to the remaining operational fleet.
Indian defence officials plan to begin retiring the Jaguar fleet around 2029. The upgraded DARIN-III aircraft are expected to remain in service into the mid-2030s while indigenous fighters, including the Tejas Mk1A, gradually replace them in the deep-strike role.
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