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SEPECAT (french: Société Européenne de Production de l'avion Ecole de Combat et d'Appui Tactique) was an Anglo-French aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1966, its aim was to handle the development and commercialization of the
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
, an
attack Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Offensive (military) * Charge (warfare) * Attack (fencing) * Strike (attack) * Attack (computing) * Attack aircraft Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * '' Attack No. 1'', comic an ...
and training aircraft. Organised as a ''
Société Anonyme The abbreviation S.A. or SA designates a type of limited company in certain countries, most of which have a Romance language as their official language and employ civil law. Originally, shareholders could be literally anonymous and collect div ...
'', the company was joint venture between
British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1 ...
and Breguet.


History

The Jaguar programme began in the early 1960s, in response to a British requirement (Air Staff Target 362) for an advanced
supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
jet trainer to replace the Folland Gnat T.1 and Hawker Hunter T.7, and a French requirement (ECAT or ''École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique'', "Tactical Combat Support Trainer") for a cheap, subsonic dual-role trainer and light attack aircraft to replace the Fouga Magister, Lockheed T-33 and Dassault Mystère IV."Military Dassault aircraft: Jaguar."
''Dassault Aviation.'' Retrieved: 15 November 2010.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in May 1965 for the two countries to develop two aircraft, a trainer based on the ECAT, and the larger
AFVG BAC/Dassault AFVG (standing for Anglo-French Variable Geometry) was a 1960s project for supersonic multi-role combat aircraft with a variable-sweep wing, jointly developed by British Aircraft Corporation in the United Kingdom and Dassault Aviat ...
(Anglo-French Variable Geometry).Jackson 1992, p. 56. Cross-channel negotiations led to the formation of SEPECAT (''Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique'' – the "European company for the production of a combat trainer and tactical support aircraft"Wagner 2009, p. 122.) in 1966 as a joint venture between Breguet and the
British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1 ...
to produce the airframe. Though based in part on the Breguet Br.121, using the same basic configuration and an innovative French-designed landing gear, the Jaguar was built incorporating major elements of design from BAC – notably the wing and high lift devices.Jackson 1992, pp. 58, 71. Production of components would be split between Breguet and BAC, and the aircraft themselves would be assembled on two production lines; one in the UK and one in France, To avoid any duplication of work, each aircraft component had only one source.''Flight'' 16 October 1969, p. 600. The British light strike/tactical support versions were the most demanding design, requiring supersonic performance, superior avionics, a cutting edge nav/attack system of more accuracy and complexity than the French version, moving map display, laser range-finder and marked-target seeker (LRMTS). As a result, the initial Br.121 design needed a thinner wing, redesigned fuselage, a higher rear cockpit, and afterburning engines. While putting on smiling faces for the public, maintaining the illusion of a shared design, the British design departed from the French subsonic Breguet 121 to such a degree that it was effectively a new design. A separate partnership was formed between Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca to develop the
Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...
afterburning turbofan engine.Taylor 1980, p. 105.Taylor 1980, p. 708. The Br.121 was proposed with Turbomeca's Tourmalet engine for ECAT but Breguet preferred the RR RB.172 and their joint venture would use elements of both. The new engine, which would be used for the AFVG as well, would be built in Derby and Tarnos. Previous collaborative efforts between Britain and France had been complicated; the
BAC/Dassault AFVG BAC/Dassault AFVG (standing for Anglo-French Variable Geometry) was a 1960s project for supersonic multi-role combat aircraft with a variable-sweep wing, jointly developed by British Aircraft Corporation in the United Kingdom and Dassault Aviat ...
programme had ended in cancellation, while controversy surrounded the development of the supersonic airliner Concorde.Wallace 1984, p. 27. Early on, collaboration between BAC and Breguet went well;Jackson 1992, p. 58. however, following Dassault's takeover of Breguet in 1971, the firm encouraged acceptance of its own designs, such as the
Super Étendard Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butto ...
naval attack aircraft and the Mirage F1, for which it would receive more workshare and profit, over the Jaguar.Jackson 1992, p. 77. Specifically, Dassault claimed that the Super Étendard was simpler and cheaper than the Jaguar, successfully persuading the French Navy to order it instead of the marinised Jaguar M, leading to the variant's cancellation in 1973. In addition to the type's adoption by France and the United Kingdom, the Jaguar was successfully exported abroad as well. As early as 1968, India had been approached as a possible customer for the Jaguar, but had declined, partly on the grounds that it was not yet clear if the French and British would themselves accept the aircraft into service.Cohen and Dasgupta 2010, p. 77. India had already developed the indigenously Marut fighter-bomber, and was at one point keen to upgrade the type, until such efforts failed. The
Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
(IAF) became the largest single export customer of the Jaguar, placing a $1 billion order for the aircraft in 1978, the Jaguar being chosen ahead of competitors such as the
Dassault Mirage F1 The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the popular Mirage III family. During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would ...
and the Saab Viggen after a long and difficult evaluation process.Barua 2005, p. 274.''Air International'' October 1988, pp. 177–181. The order involved 40 Jaguars built in Europe at Warton, and 120 licence-built aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under the local name '' Shamsher'' ("Sword of Justice").Eden 2004, pp. 400–401.


See also

* Panavia Aircraft GmbH


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* Barua, Pradeep
''The State at War in South Asia.''
Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2005. . * Bowman, Martin W. ''SEPECAT Jaguar.'' London: Pen and Sword Books, 2007. . * Cohen, Stephen and Sunil Dasgupta
''Arming Without Aiming: India's Military Modernization.''
Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2010. . * "The Decade of the Shamsher: Part One". ''Air International'', Vol. 35, No. 4, October 1988, pp. 175–183. ISSN 0306-5634. * Eden, Paul. ''The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft''. London, UK: Amber Books, 2004. . * Jackson, Paul. "SEPECAT Jaguar". ''World Air Power Journal''. Volume 11, Winter 1992, pp. 52–111. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1992. . ISSN 0959-7050. * Sekigawa, Eiichiro. "Mitsubishi's Sabre Successor". ''
Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...
'', Vol. 18, No, 3, March 1980, pp. 117–121, 130–131. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. ISSN 0306-5634. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1980–81''. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980. . * Wagner, Paul J
''Air Force Tac Recce Aircraft: NATO and Non-aligned Western European Air Force Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft of the Cold War.''
Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Publishing, 2009. . * Wallace, William. ''Britain's Bilateral Links Within Western Europe.'' London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984. .

'' Flight International'' via ''flightglobal.com,'' 12 September 1968, p. 391. {{Refend Aircraft manufacturers of France Aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom France–United Kingdom military relations Joint ventures