SEPECAT Jaguar ACT Demonstrator
Serial Number:
XX765
Period:
Post-WWII
Collection Ref: 1996/0168/A
Location: RAF Museum Cosford, Research & Development
The Jaguar was the result of an Anglo-French collaboration
to develop an advanced training and strike aircraft, entering service
with the Royal Air Force in 1973.
XX765 was withdrawn from RAF service to demonstrate the feasibility of
Active Control Technology (ACT), under development by British Aerospace
(BAe). The aircraft's normal control rods were replaced with a 'fly-by-wire'
(FBW) control system, which used four independent computer-controlled
electrical channels to relay instructions to the flight surfaces. The
aircraft was further modified by fitting large leading edge strakes (wing
extensions) to move the centre of lift forward and adding ballast to the
rear fuselage to move the centre of gravity aft. This enhanced lift and
drag characteristics and made the tail plane more efficient thereby allowing
smaller lighter engines with greater fuel efficiency to be used, decreasing
overall weight by 15%.
Flight trials began in October 1981. Test pilots were impressed by the
crisp control responses and smooth flight. The aerodynamic instability
of the aircraft enhanced manoeuvrability, but the computer-controlled
flight commands provided split-second corrections to compensate for the
unstable configuration.
The FBW Jaguar programme ended in September 1984 after 96 flights. The
information gleaned has been used in the development of the Eurofighter.
In 1991, BAe loaned XX765 to Loughborough University for study by aeronautical
engineering students. The aircraft was transferred to RAF Museum Cosford
in September 1996 and repainted by British Aerospace into its original
'raspberry ripple' colour scheme in 1999.
