- Views: 51
- Replies: 1
In a significant move to sustain its frontline combat capabilities, India is set to receive over 20 retired Jaguar fighter aircraft from the Sultanate of Oman.
According to sources familiar with the development, these aircraft will not be inducted for flying duties but will instead be dismantled in Oman and shipped to India in sections.
This logistical strategy is designed to reduce transportation costs while securing a vital supply of spare parts for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) aging Jaguar fleet.
The acquisition was reportedly finalised following the 13th Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) meeting held in New Delhi in November 2025.
The Royal Air Force of Oman, which was one of the last foreign operators of the British-French strike aircraft, retired its fleet in 2014.
These airframes are considered a "goldmine" for the IAF because they have flown fewer hours compared to other retired global fleets, meaning their internal components remain in relatively good condition.
India currently operates one of the largest remaining fleets of SEPECAT Jaguars in the world, with approximately 115 to 120 aircraft in service.
Since these jets were first inducted in the late 1970s, maintaining them has become an increasingly complex challenge.
The original production lines closed years ago, leading to a global shortage of essential components. This obsolescence has forced the IAF to look for creative solutions to keep the "Shamsher"—as the Jaguar is known in India—airworthy and operationally ready.
This is not the first time New Delhi has adopted such a pragmatic approach to fleet maintenance.
Faced with a critical shortage of spares between 2018 and 2019, the IAF acquired 31 retired Jaguar airframes from France. In that arrangement, India paid only for the shipment, effectively gaining a massive inventory of spares for free.
The current deal with Oman mirrors this cost-effective strategy, often referred to in aviation circles as creating "Christmas trees"—where retired aircraft are used as a source to pluck serviceable parts for active jets.
The ex-Omani Jaguars will serve exclusively as "hangar queens," a term used for aircraft that are grounded and cannibalised for parts. They are expected to provide a steady stream of critical hardware, including hydraulic systems, avionics housings, landing gear assemblies, and engine ancillaries.
By securing these hard-to-find items, the IAF can maintain its sortie generation rates without resorting to the prohibitively expensive and time-consuming process of custom-manufacturing obsolete parts.
This decision highlights the IAF’s broader strategy to extract maximum value from the Jaguar fleet before its eventual phase-out, which is expected to begin in earnest around 2027-28 for older variants.
However, the upgraded DARIN III variants are slated to fly well into the 2030s. Despite their age, these aircraft remain central to India’s deep-penetration strike and maritime attack capabilities, having been repeatedly upgraded with modern navigation systems, radar, and weaponry to remain relevant in modern combat scenarios.
