Introduction
History
The SEPECAT Jaguar is a product of Anglo-French collaboration, developed to meet both nations' requirements for a versatile military aircraft. In the early 1960s, the United Kingdom sought an advanced supersonic jet trainer to replace the Folland Gnat T.1 and Hawker Hunter T.7, while France aimed to acquire a cost-effective subsonic dual-role trainer and light attack aircraft to succeed the Fouga Magister, Lockheed T-33, and Dassault Mystère IV. This convergence of needs led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding in May 1965, initiating the joint development of the aircraft.
To manage this binational project, the Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique (SEPECAT) was established in 1966 as a joint venture between the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and the French company Breguet. The collaboration combined British and French aerospace expertise, resulting in an aircraft that evolved from its initial training role into a capable supersonic ground-attack and reconnaissance platform.
The Jaguar's maiden flight occurred on 8 September 1968, marking the beginning of its operational journey. The aircraft entered service with the French Air Force in 1973 and the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1974. In the RAF, the Jaguar GR1 became a cornerstone of tactical support and ground-attack operations, equipping eight front-line squadrons. It played a significant role in RAF Germany's Cold War air capabilities until it was gradually replaced by the Panavia Tornado in the mid-1980s.
Beyond its service in France and the United Kingdom, the Jaguar found success on the export market, with variants serving in the air forces of India, Oman, Ecuador, and Nigeria. The aircraft saw combat in various conflicts, including operations in Mauritania, Chad, Iraq, and Bosnia. Notably, both the French and British Jaguars were active during the Gulf War in 1990-1991, where they were praised for their reliability and effectiveness in coalition operations.
The Jaguar remained in operational service with the French Air Force until 1 July 2005 and with the RAF until the end of April 2007. In both air forces, it was succeeded by more advanced aircraft. As of 2025, the Jaguar continues to serve with the Indian Air Force, underscoring its enduring legacy and adaptability.
Developer notes
This project has been a year-long adventure, pushing our limits as we have done with each of our previous aircraft. Developing the SEPECAT Jaguar was both a challenge and a passion, as we strived to recreate this legendary machine with the highest level of accuracy and authenticity.
The arrival of Flight Simulator 2024 introduced technical uncertainties that initially delayed our work. However, in hindsight, this extra time allowed us to refine every aspect of the aircraft, ensuring a far more polished and immersive experience than we had initially envisioned.
Bringing to life an iconic symbol of 1970s and 1980s aviation has been a true pleasure. The Jaguar’s history, design, and legacy make it a remarkable aircraft, and we hope our work does justice to its place in aviation history.
This project would not have been possible without the support of the Musée Européen de l’Aviation de Chasse (MEACMTL), who welcomed us and gave us the opportunity to access their Jaguar. Their trust and collaboration have been invaluable in ensuring the accuracy of this aircraft.
We are incredibly honored to have been chosen by Dassault Aviation to develop the first officially licensed Dassault fighter for Flight Simulator, with the collaboration of Jet Fighter Experience. This milestone is a major achievement for our team, and we are proud to bring such an iconic aircraft to the virtual skies with their official endorsement.
A special thank you goes to Neil Atterbury, whose dedication to restoring Jaguar XX764 has been truly inspiring. His extensive collection of photos and videos has been instrumental in refining the details of our model. We highly recommend visiting his website to follow the restoration journey of this legendary aircraft.
Many thanks to the Bentwaters Cold War Museum for providing us all those pictures and sound recordings which helped us a lot for the development. We are very impressed about their mission of keeping the Jaguar XX741 in flight condition.
Finally, we extend our deepest gratitude to our passionate and supportive community. Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement have pushed us to deliver our best work. This project is as much yours as it is ours!
This manual is written based on real Jaguar documentation (A and GR1 versions) we had access to while developing the aircraft. It has been adapted to apply to our representation in the simulator.
This manual covers both the Jaguar for MSFS 2020 and the native version for MSFS 2024. Both products share most of their features, hence we decided to write a single manual for them. For the features specific to MSFS 2024, a section has been added at the end of the manual.