THE ROYAL AIR FORCE is to upgrade its entire fleet of Sepecat Jaguar GR.1s with avionics originally developed to allow 12 of the aircraft to carry the GEC-Marconi Thermal Imaging and Airborne Laser Designator (TIALD) system.
The Jaguar fleet will also have its reconnaissance capability enhanced later this year with the acquisition of six Vinten Vicon pods, say RAF officials. The Vicon 90 forward-looking infra-red system is thought to be under consideration.
The overall upgrade will improve the Jaguar fleet's operational capability and almost certainly see the aircraft's in-service life extended to compensate for the late arrival of the Eurofighter EF2000.
The original £2 million TIALD avionics-upgrade programme was awarded to the UK Defence Research Agency in August 1994, to meet Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) 41/94. The modified aircraft will be designated the GR1B for the single-seat, and the T2B for the two-seater.
Sqn Ldr Cliff Christensen, Jaguar Support Authority, Headquarters Logistics Command, says: "We hope to take advantage of all the work and knowledge gained over the last year and modify the rest of the fleet with a simplified version of the TIALD installation."
This will see all the remaining 6, 54 and 41 Sqn Jaguar GR1s receive a new head-up display, global-positioning system, modified inertial-navigation system and a 1553B databus.
Christensen says that, if there were a requirement for additional TIALD capable aircraft, "...as this is a subset of the UOR modification, the remainder of the UOR modification could be completed with a minimum of man-hours".
So far, three single-seat aircraft have been modified at DRA Boscombe Down. A further nine TIALD aircraft will be modified at RAF St Athan.
Tests have concentrated on medium-level TIALD target designation from the Jaguar. The DRA is also working on additional upgrades to TIALD delivery modes which could allow low-level delivery.o
See feature, P60.
Source: Flight International