Jaguars Over London

On Sunday, June 23, 2002, a lucky few saw no less than nine RAF Jaguar GR3as, from four different squadrons, fly over and then land in London for a refuelling stop on their way back to the UK from a Maple Flag deployment to Cold Lake, Alberta. After London, the aircraft were headed to Montreal, Halifax, and then the Azores before returning home. Although they were only on the ground for approximately four hours, several IPMS London members grabbed their cameras and headed for the airport. These photos show what we saw, but don't capture either the sounds or the glorious smell of jet fuel that we are not otherwise going to get this year.

This 41 Squadron aircraft was the last plane to arrive, landing some hours after its companions and having only a very quick turnaround on the ground. The aircraft were unencumbered by external stores, except for two fuel tanks under the wings (curiously, many of the tanks still wore the 1980s NATO-era camouflage of Dark Green and Dark Sea Gray). All pylons were fitted, however, including the overwing stub pylons for AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM launch rails on most aircraft.

A very smart 54 Squadron aircraft heads the flightline. The aircraft landed in London without their tanker support, which apparently flew a more direct route back. Hence, the planes were without their usual ground support equipment, including boarding ladders. The crew jumped the considerable height from the cockpit down to the ground, but used a trusty stepladder to get back in.

A 41 Squadron Jaguar begins to taxi to the runway. This view gives a good impression of the Jaguar's very beefy landing gear, which was originally designed to operate from unprepared airstrips. Notice that the canopy is open slightly; I was surprised to see that there is a latch which holds the canopy open at this angle.

Dave Guertin positioned himself along the taxiway close to the runway and got these great taxi and takeoff shots. Here a 6 Squadron Jaguar taxis by, showing its squadron markings on the intake side and Radar Warning Receiver housing on the tail. 6 Squadron's insignia, a winged can opener, dates back to 1942, when the unit deployed 40mm armed Hurricane IID tank-busters on the Western Desert. 6 Squadron is also a long-time Jaguar operator, having flown the aircraft since 1974.

16 (Res) Squadron's famous crossed keys markings are visible on the intake of this Jaguar, while the even more famous "Saint" character graces its tail. Note that this aircraft still has its wing fences in place, and is not fitted for the overwing Sidewinder launch rails.

A 41 Squadron aircraft taxis by, distinguishable by its white and red stripes and the Cross of Lorraine surmounted by a crown on its intake. Note the Dark Green/Dark Sea Gray drop tanks, a holdover from the Cold War. This plane is also fitted with wing strakes, lacking the stub pylons for the Sidewinders.

My personal favourites for markings were those of 54 Squadron. I thought their yellow and blue checks, with a Lion Rampant on the intake, look very nice against the Camouflage Gray/Dark Sea Gray scheme on the rest of the airframe. 54 Squadron is another of the very early Jaguar squadrons, having equipped in 1974. 54 Squadron was one of three operational units to contribute aircraft and aircrew to Operation Granby, Britain's participation in the campaign to liberate Kuwait.

There's nothing like the sound of a fast jet taking off in afterburner. This 41 Squadron Jaguar's twin Adours were lit up as it blasted off to the north, quickly disappearing into the haze.

A special thanks goes out to Bill Clark who, via Hyperscale, offered some additional information and corrections for the captions of these pictures. He also notes that the current release of the Airfix 1/48 Jaguar includes 54 Squadron markings in the kit, while in 1/72 scale, Xtracolour's decal range allows the modeler to build an aircraft from any one of these four squadrons.