The Indian air force has declared initial operation clearance for the latest avionics upgrade to its Sepecat Jaguar attack aircraft.
Under the Darin (display, attack, range and inertial navigation) III programme, three Jaguars have received upgraded avionics packages installed by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).
HAL says in a statement that the core of the upgrade is a new open architecture mission computer, as well as an engine and flight instrument system, smart multifunction display, fire control radar and a new inertial navigation system with GPS and Geodetic height correction.
Solid-state video and flight data recorders have also been installed, as has an identification friend or foe system.
The design and development of the new avionics suite was carried out by HAL’s mission and combat system research and design centre, with the overhaul completed at its Bengaluru facility.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that India is the sole remaining operator of the Jaguar, with 160 in service. Reports from India claim that around 120 of the aircraft will receive the Darin-III upgrade.
The Jaguars are used in ground and maritime attack roles, and the upgraded types are set to receive MBDA's ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile and Textron Defence Systems' CBU-105 Sensor Fused Weapon.
Delhi has also planned to re-engine the Jaguar fleet with HAL-built Honeywell F125-IN engines, but that programme appears to have suffered major delays, with little progress announced to date.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
