The Jaguar will soon be withdrawn from frontline service but in the Gulf war did an outstanding job for the RAF. This model in the gulf war colours depicts the model at its best.

In the 1960s it was thought dedicated supersonic training aircraft would be needed to prepare pilots for the high-speed combat aircraft expected in the last quarter of the 20th Century. The cost of such a trainer was expected to be high, so in the spirit of the day the British and French decided to combine efforts to produce one aircraft to meet the needs of both nations. At the same time replacements were needed for the Hunter fighter-bombers of the RAF and the F-100 Super Sabres of the French Air Force, and new carrier-borne strike aircraft were needed by the French Naval Air Arm. As the project progressed it was realised that the supersonic trainer was going to be too expensive to operate, but that a single-seat version of the aircraft would be ideal for the strike force of both countries.

The Jaguar marked a clear departure from the previous policy of using old fighters in the ground-attack role. The Jaguar was designed as a "bomb cart" able to haul a large load of bombs at high subsonic speed at low level and then make a supersonic escape after delivery