Video-Indian Air Force Jaguar drops practice munitions on airfield after bird strike.

[AmuDarya]

Indian Air Force releases video of SEPECAT Jaguar take-off, bird strike, and release of fuel tanks and practice munitions on airfield before clearing perimeter.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/videos/india-news/iaf-releases-video-of-jaguar-dropping-practice-bombs-says-pilot-saved-lives/video-fxHbTqiViLG6E2AzzabXvL.html

[just another jocky]

Would you expect the tanks to explode like that? Good job he hadn't made it as far as the village beyond the airfield when he punched them off.

[ORAC]

Too late looking for a job on Catch 22......

[Easy Street]

Would you expect the tanks to explode like that?

Certainly wouldn’t expect that... I’ve seen a few sets of full tanks jettisoned and none of them burned. I’m wondering if airfield lighting or perhaps the flash charge in a practice bomb might have provided the ignition source?

[Just This Once...]

Would you expect the tanks to explode like that? Good job he hadn't made it as far as the village beyond the airfield when he punched them off.

Fuel tanks - no, they don't explode when jettisoned. There were even trials against potential ignition sources where the fuel actually extinguished them.

This scenario appears to hinge on the loaded CBLS and the breakup removing the remaining safeties from the small charges in the practice bombs in an area where the fuel was atomised and (speculatively) with rather warm fuel in the tanks.

If the EJ had been earlier the fuel may not have been in such a combustible state and the CBLS may have been more intact. If the EJ had been later than the differing trajectories would have put the CBLS and tanks in different places.

Ideally a selective jettison of just the heavy stuff would be more prudent. On the mud-moving type I flew the SJ was set to clear the underwing tanks only. If the VV didn't look healthy afterwards the front seat EJ would be pressed through the panel once the throttles had hit the stops. The only further consideration was with under-fuselage fuel vs gear; plus the odd store fitted with dummy cartridges and could not be popped-off.

[Bob Viking]

I’ll say it before someone else does.

In a hot location, in a Jaguar , if you lose an engine it is prudent to get rid of anything that will go.

In fact, in a Jaguar, in any location it would be wise. On most take offs.

I’m allowed to say that. The rest of you had better not get involved.

BV

[Fareastdriver]

It was nice to see that the IAF complimented the pilot for saving the aircraft. Was that to have happened in the UK there would have been busloads of demonstrators, every movement broadcast by the BBC, demanding that these dangerous aircraft be scrapped and the airfield closed.

OK, it was a Jaguar but it doesn't matter.

[bobward]

Many years ago I saw a Jaguar lose an engine departing Coltishall. He cleaned off all the stores just as here. However, the fuel tanks just hit the ground and broke up.
After an extended circuit she came back in and landed safely.

After seeing that, I never did any spotting at either end of the runway, just to the side...…. You never know, do you?

[kemblejet01]

Bob Viking +1

Selective jettison (and I've done it) doesn't guarantee the stores come off simultaneously, even with a double finger stab. You then have a considerable roll input when you least need it (and I've done it).

The Clear Aircraft button was, in my opinion, the only viable option for the EFATO scenario in the Jaguar.

Well handled by the chap.

[NutLoose]

They managed to drop some practice bombs on hill 60 at Bruggen, much to the annoyance of the SWO's working party who were there filling sandbags at the time.

[Background Noise]

.. if you lose an engine it is prudent to get rid of anything that will go.

Quite - either jettison the stores into the overrun, or jettison the entire aircraft into the same spot.

[SASless]

But.....but....did he get the Birds with the ersatz Napalm strike?

[BEagle]

The Summer of '76 was, as those old enough might recall, pretty damn hot.

Having finished my Hunter course, I was asked to stand in as RSO at Pembrey for a day whilst the real one was away on leave. As we drove to the range hut, I saw some very mangled 230 tanks sitting in a storage area. "What happened there?", I asked. I was told that some refresher Wg Cdr on 79 Sqn had made a monumental switch pigs, selected the wrong pylons and pickled off near on 460 gallons of HM's finest Avtur across the range. Following which, our hero asked if he could continue, but was told to RTB asap! It would only have needed the smallest spark to set the whole lot and the tinder dry range aflame!

I understand that a refresher triggernometry brief from one of 79's QWIs followed soon after the gallant Wg Cdr landed...

[Two's in]

That was definitely a pilot who was thinking "what could possibly go wrong right now?" and not "what am I doing when I get back tonight?". Lightning quick reactions and lives to fly another day.

[Busta]

The F4 had enough grunt for most circumstances, but with delta fit and loaded for bear, a quick refresher that the jettison button was just ahead of the left index finger at full reheat was comforting..

[Bob Viking]

I’ve just watched a slightly better quality video of the event and you will see just as he is jettisoning he appears to be approaching the wrong side of the drag curve. Quite a high sink rate with the nose still pointing up.

I’d say he wouldn’t want to have left it much longer whichever option he’d taken.

Good work.

BV

[weemonkey]

I’ve just watched a slightly better quality video of the event and you will see just as he is jettisoning he appears to be approaching the wrong side of the drag curve. Quite a high sink rate with the nose still pointing up.

I’d say he wouldn’t want to have left it much longer whichever option he’d taken.

Good work.

BV

Yes that was actually quite a close call, as you said, the better quality video shows the sink rate seen against the bottom of screen .

Notice also the grey smoke alongside the black from fuel....

[B2N2]

By all means don’t share the higher quality video with us mere mortals....

[wub]

By all means don’t share the higher quality video with us mere mortals....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B4D0IyOkVfo

[Bob Viking]

I had assumed that even a mere mortal could type something into YouTube.

Try this: Jaguar Aircraft India Birdstrike

BV

[NutLoose]

All except the ECM pods on the Jags, they were getting in short supply so the carts were removed from the pylons to prevent the pilot jettisoning them..

We had a foreign distaff in the back of a Tbird manage to clear stores off the aircraft during an exercise, I seem to remember he came back down to earth with a thump... So to speak.

[Background Noise]

And that massive recce pod - that was coming with us to the scene of the crash.

[JagRigger]

Many years ago I saw a Jaguar lose an engine departing Coltishall. He cleaned off all the stores just as here. However, the fuel tanks just hit the ground and broke up.
After an extended circuit she came back in and landed safely.

After seeing that, I never did any spotting at either end of the runway, just to the side...…. You never know, do you?

Railway end ?

[dead_pan]

But.....but....did he get the Birds with the ersatz Napalm strike?

Indeed he did. How do like your pigeon - well done?

[KiloB]

Did they ever find out if the bird hit the Jaguar from the front or the back?

[dagenham]

Did they ever find out if the bird hit the Jaguar from the front or the back?

is that a low blow?

[Avionker]

is that a low blow?

It was a Jaguar taking off, so a slow blow...

[Bob Viking]

If there is one thing the Jaguar was not as it took off it is slow. Rotate speeds were often eye watering especially in hot and high locations with heavy stores.

The highest rotate speed I personally ever remember using was 193 knots at Davis Monthan in a warm April with bombs on. Tyre limiting speed at take off was 205 knots.

Now, if you want to banter acceleration or climb rates then I have no defence.

Carrying a PW3 (and tanks, missiles and chaff/ECM) out of Thumrait I remember it took 160 track miles to get to 14000’ in dry power.

To link the story to the Indian event we actually had dispensation to operate with a dead zone after take off at Thumrait until we had reached a certain speed. Losing an engine shortly after take off meant ejection was the only option. Hence the IAF jet dropping his stores was very necessary.

Also bear in mind I joined the Jaguar late when it had the 106 engines. Stand by for some horror stories from the likes of Dook and Background Noise.

Can anyone hear that noise? Kind of squeaky. Like a swinging lantern...

BV

Note: I apologise if any of my numbers are inaccurate. I do not have dementia yet and, to the best of my knowledge, they are correct.

[ORAC]

For background.

This a reference to a Jaguar accident report submitted back around 1976.

CS submitted a flash accident signal of a Jaguar hitting a rabbit on the take-off run with the nose gear and damaging the hydraulic pipes.

A bright spark at CY immediately responded with a signal asking for clarification if the rabbit had hit the front or the rear of the nose gear. Copied to all other FJ stations. Ribaldry ensued.

[F-16GUY]

Carrying a PW3 (and missiles and chaff/ECM) out of Thumrait I remember it took 160 track miles to get to 14000’ in dry power.

BV

Wow, if you go in a straight line for 160 miles form sea level, not following the curvature of the earth, you will actually end up around 17000' above ground. So it really is due to the curvature of the earth that the Jag can manage to take off.

But it still losses 3000' in 160 miles.....

[Phantom Driver]

Jest on , guys ; but for those who were there , (and managed to survive), Jaguars at Thumrait had to be one of life's great flying experiences . Mind you , it did help that most daily ops were spared the nuisance of stuff like external tanks . However , FPDs ( fire power demos ) were a fairly regular occurrence , Eric B and the Sultan liked them .

These usually involved a full load of the heavy stuff to generate maximum noise on Rubkut range . The CAB was definitely in the scan on takeoff . Such considerations never seemed to bother those who sanctioned the continuing growth of the Wali camp at the end of the runway who would have collected any such jettison of munitions . Maybe it was a case of "insh'allah" , but as far as I know , nothing ever landed in their midst over the years , although I do stand to be corrected .

[Background Noise]

Stand by for some horror stories from the likes of Dook and Background Noise.
Can anyone hear that noise? Kind of squeaky. Like a swinging lantern...

.. and smelling of wee??

We did operate most of the time in our supposed 'war fit' of CL recce pod, tanks and outboard ECM and Phimat - which IIRC were also non-jettisonable. I do recall often extrapolating the takeoff speeds off the side of the graph, but I don't recall any 'dispensation' - it was just what we did.

The banter from the Tornado Sqns was obviously merciless - right up until GW1 when they started carrying JP233!

[SASless]

The USAF refuses to be outdone.....and continues its long known ability to drop bombs on its own nation forces and allies.

What's three missing practice bombs when they have as many missing nukes or more!


https://theaviationist.com/2019/07/02/an-a-10-accidentally-lost-three-practice-bombs-after-bird-strike-in-florida/

[msbbarratt]

Would you expect the tanks to explode like that?

It's a survival strategy. Down an engine, looking for lift, what better than a nice hot thermal to glide on, gain some height. Jaguars are famed for their ability in this regard...

Seriously though, well done that pilot.