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Jaguar external stores


Slater

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I have one of the oft-discussed Revell Germany Jaguar GR.1/.3 's on order. I note that it comes with four BL755 cluster bombs and a couple (overwing?) Sidewinders. The BL755's are carried in a nose-to-tail arrangement on the racks. Would 1000 pounders have been carried in a similar fashion?

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  • 1 month later...

Would the granby jags ever carry laser guided bombs?

The RAF was short on designators in '91. They just had a few ex-USAF Pavespike pods for the Buccaneers. The only LGB operations I ever read about were Buccaneer designating for themselves and Tornados.

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The RAF was short on designators in '91. They just had a few ex-USAF Pavespike pods for the Buccaneers. The only LGB operations I ever read about were Buccaneer designating for themselves and Tornados.

Not strictly Granby Jaguars, but I believe The RAF also had a very few, 3 IIRC, prototype TIALDS which were flown out and used. I believe OC 617 Sqn Wg Cdr Bob Iveson AFC ferried a jet out from Marham and then stayed on to oversee the TIALD "operational trial." Edited by SPerx
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There were 2 TIALD pods, both at Tabuk. Named after the Fat Slags from Viz.

Jaguars also carried CBU-87 although normally only 2 per a/c as well as CRV-7 rocket pods

George

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Not strictly Granby Jaguars, but I believe The RAF also had a very few, 3 IIRC, prototype TIALDS which were flown out and used. I believe OC 617 Sqn Wg Cdr Bob Iveson AFC ferried a jet out from Marham and then stayed on to oversee the TIALD "operational trial."

Popular history is two, Sandra and Tracey, AKA The Fat Slags

RAF list 4 TIALD capable Tornados

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Early in the campaign the Jags flew with CRV-7's.

The only aircraft to fly with TIALD, and ALARM missiles during the campaign were the Tonka's at Tabuk.

Very late in the campaign the Jags were loaded with CBU-87's, along with the Muharraq based Tonka's but were never dropped

XVTonker

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwieL2O2Nn8

Lots of images of Jaguars in here.

Now, I am not an expert on this and I wasn't there, but I have always been under the impression from what I read at the time and since that the Jag Det didn't carry LGBs and the Buccaneers and the TIALD equipped Tornados that shared the pods only designated for Buccaneers and Tornados. So look at 02:10 onwards in the clip linked above, the Jaguar banks and they look a bit like LGB heads to me. Now it isn't great quality image and it could have been a training sortie etc etc. and I'm still not convinced they were used operationally.

Just throwing it out for consideration, discussion and a possible explanation from anyone that WAS there or otherwise knows better.

Edited by Vicarage Vee
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I would question the figures quoted regarding the cluster bombs as none were used in anger.

They were loaded during the last couple of days of the conflict, and as far as I can remember no sorties were flown by either the Jags or Tornado's from Muharraq.

Also, regarding the Jags dropping 1000 pounders, I'm pretty certain this wasn't the case as the Tornado's only dropped them on medium level sorties and the Jags were typically flying low level sorties, but I may be wrong.

XVTonker

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When Bill Pixton (OC41) took command of the JagDet, he came to the view that attacking at low level would be suicide given the amount of AAA the Iraqis had and (with the full - and relieved - agreement of his team) planned on operating at medium level.

This presented a problem, since the BL755 was unsuited for release at medium level (hence the subsequent introduction of the RBL755). The answer was the CRV7 rocket. CRV7 pods (this isn't the actual designation of the pod, but my short-hand for 'pods containing CRV7 rockets') were trialled at the end of 1990, but it became clear that there was a problem with the software integration which meant that the weapon couldn't be employed accurately - and since CRV7 is a very accurate RP, this meant that various boffins were pressed into service sorting out the dodgy amps, lines of code, etc.

In the interim, the 1,000lb bomb was used - first in tandem fit under the centreline [two wing tanks, ECM and Phimat + overwing 'Winder], then on tandem bomb beams under the wings, with a single 'bag' on the centreline. A few BL755 were released and dispensed their contents over an even wider area than usual, prompting the introduction of the CBU-87, mounted directly to the inner wing stations. CRV7 software was sorted out pretty quickly, and over 30 pods were expended.

The overall weapons usage by the RAF (i.e. Jag, Tornado and Buccaneer) was:

•JP233 – 106
•1,000lb bomb – 4459
•Paveway 1,000lb LGB – 1117
•BL755 – 8
•ALARM – 104
•CBU-87 - 387
•CRV-7 – 34 pods
These are the offical (public domain) figures, which I've validated with the Air Historical Branch (before boring various staff college students with them). For the sake of polite conversation, I've omitted the AIM-9s which joined in the fray; I have the figures for 27mm and 30mm somewhere, but I last used them about nine years ago, so forgive me for not ferreting them out.
The Jags did fly with Paveway before 17 Jan 91. The idea - originally - was that the USAF would provide buddy-lasing for them, probably from F-15E. There were not, at the time, enough LANTIRN pods on the Strike Eagle to service the USAF's own requirements, and it was pretty clear that the only guaranteed way of getting Paveways used by the Jags was to send the Buccaneers with Pave Spike to theatre. At the time, there were a number of issues about ramp space and a reluctance to deploy Buccs (remember that they were told that they would not be deployed); furthermore, the target sets the Jags were after were all eminently suited for attack by unguided weapons - the Jag, particularly in a 60-degree dive, could put 1,000lb iron bombs onto a target very accurately using laser ranging (NB not designation, ranging), and certainly with a sufficient CEP to put anyone in close proximity to the targets off their elevenses.
Edited by XV107
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If CBU-87s weren't used then why do several Jaguars have mission markings listing them? According to the RAF Yearbook 1991 Gulf Special they were used from 29 January 1991

http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/jaguar/gb/buster_gonad_2.jpg

IIRC, one of the RAF Jaguar pilots specifically talked about employing CBU-87s in that particular yearbook.

Regards,

Murph

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