HAL COMPLETES MAIDEN FLIGHT OF MARITIME VARIANT OF THE SEPECAT JAGUAR

Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has completed the maiden flight of a two-seater maritime strike variant of the Sepecat Jaguar combat jet fitted with an active electronically scanned array radar. The flight is part of Indian Air Force’s $520 million upgrade programme to bring 61 of India’s 157 Jaguar jets to the DARIN III standard—a modernization that includes new avionics and cockpit, in addition to the integration of modern armaments. Darin III-standard Jaguars will also be fitted with MBDA’s ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile, while Textron Systems’ CBU-105 Sensor Fused Weapon has already been integrated on the type. Maritime strike variants of the Jaguar also come equipped with the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile.