Oman to send retired Jaguar jets to India to keep planes flying.

India is set to receive retired SEPECAT Jaguar ground attack aircraft formerly operated by the Royal Air Force of Oman, and the airframes will be dismantled to recover engines, structures, and components needed to keep the Indian Air Force’s Jaguar squadrons operational amid shrinking global support for the type.

As reported by Scramble on December 11, 2025, India will receive retired SEPECAT Jaguar ground attack aircraft formerly operated by the Royal Air Force of Oman as part of a sustainment-oriented measure focused on supporting the Indian Air Force’s existing Jaguar fleet. The aircraft are intended to be dismantled and used as sources of spare parts rather than restored for flight operations, reflecting the operational realities of maintaining an aircraft type that has been out of production for decades.
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The Jaguar fleet operated by Oman originally consisted of 27 aircraft acquired over time to fulfill strike and training roles. This total included 20 single-seat Jaguar SO1 aircraft and five two-seat Jaguar BO2 trainers. (Picture source: UK MoD)

The Jaguar fleet operated by Oman originally consisted of 27 aircraft acquired over time to fulfill strike and training roles. This total included 20 single-seat Jaguar SO1 aircraft and five two-seat Jaguar BO2 trainers, with two additional ex-Royal Air Force aircraft later introduced as attrition replacements. Deliveries of the Jaguar to Oman began in March 1977, placing the fleet among the earlier export operators of the type. Over several decades of service, the aircraft accumulated substantial flying hours and operational wear. The final four operational Omani Jaguars were formally retired on August 6, 2014, after which the remaining airframes became candidates for disposal, storage, or use as sources of spare parts.

Any assessment of the number of aircraft potentially available from Oman must take into account the fleet’s long-term attrition record. Oman is known to have lost 13 Jaguars in various accidents during the aircraft’s service life, significantly reducing the number of complete airframes remaining by the time of retirement. At least six aircraft are confirmed to have been destroyed, eliminating them as potential sources of either airframes or components. Other losses may have involved aircraft written off after serious damage, which ended their flying careers but did not necessarily render all components unusable. This distinction is relevant when evaluating how many aircraft could realistically contribute to a parts-recovery effort.

Against this background, references to transfers involving “more than 20” Jaguars are better understood in terms of cumulative spare-part value rather than as a count of intact aircraft. For sustainment purposes, the primary interest lies in recoverable engines, structural elements, avionics-related components, and other assemblies that can be refurbished and reused. Even aircraft that are no longer flyable or that suffered accidents can still yield usable parts once dismantled. As a result, the numerical framing reflects the scale of parts support rather than the physical delivery of a corresponding number of complete airframes. Recovering parts from retired aircraft offers a way to stabilize supply chains, reduce reliance on bespoke manufacturing, and manage maintenance timelines more predictably. The dismantling of Omani Jaguars is therefore intended to feed refurbishment and overhaul processes within India rather than to alter the operational role or configuration of the aircraft already in service.

The underlying objective of the transfer is to reinforce the Indian Air Force’s ability to maintain its Jaguar fleet in operational condition despite declining global support for the type. As original manufacturers and suppliers have shifted focus to newer platforms, sourcing specialized Jaguar components has become increasingly complex and costly. Therefore, the service history of the Jaguar within the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also been marked by a relatively high number of accidents. Since its induction in the late 1970s, the IAF has lost a significant number of Jaguars in crashes, with publicly acknowledged figures exceeding 50 aircraft over several decades, making it one of the more accident-prone types in Indian service in absolute terms. Many of these incidents occurred during training or routine missions rather than combat, often linked to technical failures, engine issues, bird strikes, or pilot error during low-altitude operations.

Developed by SEPECAT, a consortium formed by Britain’s British Aircraft Corporation and France’s Breguet, the Jaguar program was launched in the 1960s to meet a shared requirement for an advanced trainer and light strike aircraft capable of operating at low level in a high-threat environment. The first prototype flew in September 1968, and the aircraft entered service in the early 1970s with both the Royal Air Force and the French Air Force. Over time, the Jaguar was exported to several countries, including India, Oman, Ecuador, and Nigeria, with each operator introducing national modifications. The program benefited from shared industrial workshare and commonality, but it was also shaped by Cold War doctrine emphasizing survivability, dispersed basing, and precision strike at low altitude. Production ended in the early 1980s, and the Jaguar gradually left service in Europe as newer multirole aircraft replaced it, leaving India as the principal remaining long-term operator.

The Jaguar is powered by two Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofan engines, providing a maximum speed of around Mach 1.6 at altitude and high subsonic performance at low level, where the aircraft was designed to operate for most of its missions. The airframe features a high-mounted swept wing, robust landing gear suitable for austere airstrips, and a structure intended to withstand sustained low-altitude flight. Typical combat radius varies depending on payload and profile, but is generally in the range of several hundred kilometers, extendable with external fuel tanks. Armament options across operators have included internal 30mm cannons, a wide range of unguided and guided air-to-ground munitions, anti-runway weapons, laser-guided bombs, and, in some configurations, air-to-air missiles for self-defense. Indian variants have undergone multiple upgrade programs over time, integrating improved navigation and attack systems, modernized avionics, and compatibility with newer precision-guided weapons, allowing the aircraft to retain operational relevance despite its age.

India has previously relied on similar arrangements to sustain its Jaguar force, most notably during 2018–2019 when France transferred 31 Jaguar airframes and spare parts for the same purpose. In that instance, India covered only transportation costs, while the aircraft and components themselves were provided without an acquisition price. That transfer demonstrated how retired fleets from former operators could be repurposed to extend the service life of remaining aircraft elsewhere. The current arrangement with Oman follows the same logic and reflects continuity in India’s approach to managing the long-term viability of the Jaguar fleet under conditions of declining global support.

The scale of the Indian Air Force’s Jaguar inventory explains why sustainment measures of this kind remain operationally significant. India currently operates six Jaguar squadrons, each typically comprising approximately 18 to 20 aircraft. Under Western Air Command, 7 Wing at Ambala Air Force Station operates 5 Squadron “Tuskers” and 14 Squadron “Bulls” with Jaguar IS and IT variants. Central Air Command includes 17 Wing at Gorakhpur Air Force Station, hosting 16 Squadron “Black Cobras” and 27 Squadron “Flaming Arrows,” also operating IS and IT variants. South Western Air Command’s 33 Wing at Jamnagar Air Force Station fields 6 Squadron “Dragons” and 224 Squadron “Warlords,” operating Jaguar IM, IS, and IT variants. Ensuring consistent parts availability across these locations is central to sustaining day-to-day operations. However, with the Jaguar already retired by France, the United Kingdom, and Oman, India relies increasingly on recovered inventories to manage maintenance demands and contain long-term sustainment costs.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.