India Turns to Ex-Ecuador, French and Omani Jaguars to Keep Its Fleet Flying

The SEPECAT Jaguar has long been a workhorse for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Introduced in the late 1970s, this subsonic strike aircraft has performed close air support, deep strike, and reconnaissance roles across decades of operations. Today, the Jaguar remains a critical component of India’s strike capability, even as its airframes age and production lines have long since closed.

Maintaining a fleet of legacy aircraft is never straightforward. India faces the classic challenge of operating a platform for which no new production exists. Engines, landing gear, avionics, and specialized structural components cannot simply be ordered from a manufacturer. To address this, the IAF has relied on a strategy of selective cannibalization from retired airframes, a practice that has become central to sustaining the Jaguar fleet.

Oman has played a pivotal role in this logistics equation. In 2018–2019, the Royal Air Force of Oman retired a number of Jaguars, which India acquired primarily to harvest spare parts. These aircraft were never intended to fly in Indian service; instead, they provide engines, mission avionics, landing gear, and other high-value components that are increasingly difficult to obtain from original suppliers. The Omani airframes effectively extend the operational life of India’s active fleet, allowing the IAF to plan for Jaguar operations well into the mid-2030s.

More recently, attention has turned to Ecuador. Reports indicate that the Ecuadorian Air Force has four Jaguars in storage, preserved since their retirement. India has opened discussions to acquire these airframes, following the same model as the Omani deal: dismantle for parts, integrate into India’s existing Jaguar logistics chain, and maintain fleet readiness. By securing multiple sources of retired airframes, India reduces dependency on a single supplier and ensures the continuity of a complex, legacy supply chain.

The Jaguar is the only aircraft of its type still in operational service with India, and the FMS and original European production lines no longer exist. The only practical way to sustain the fleet is to source retired airframes from other operators, either through direct purchase or through carefully negotiated transfers. India has already done this with airframes from France, Oman, and now looks to Ecuador. Each acquisition strengthens the supply pipeline and secures the ability to operate the aircraft in key strike and reconnaissance roles.

The Jaguars acquired from Oman or Ecuador are purely for sustainment purposes. The IAF is maintaining the current operational fleet size while mitigating the risks associated with an aging platform. This is a practical, low-profile solution that ensures operational continuity without major capital expenditure or the complexity of introducing an entirely new aircraft type.

The IAF’s approach demonstrates a pragmatic application of air logistics in a resource-constrained environment. By carefully sourcing retired airframes, prioritizing cannibalization, and integrating parts into a central maintenance pipeline, India is able to extend the life of its Jaguars for another decade and a half, while simultaneously preparing for gradual replacement by modern platforms in the 2030s.