One of the newest Sainik Schools, SSCN was established in 2019.
First reported by Amartya Ghosh on Twitter – Sainik School Chandrapur appears to hold a Jaguar airframe, the first of its kind reported to be ‘preserved’ as a warbird, and featuring the number “A-105” . The number is spurious and the only close number that one can correlate is “JS-105” .
Every warbird enthusiast that saw the above commented that the aircraft doesn’t look right – it looks weirdly different, the nose and the tail are not the types the IAF operated. Several Twitter users had called out that the Jaguar looks like a french example. We had definitely missed the memo about the import of 31 ex-French Jaguar airframes by HAL as a source for spares.. and as Angad Singh pointed out A105 was an original French Air Force Serial1. So that solves the identity for this airframe – It is a French Air Force example that never saw service with the IAF.
Additionally, the school also appears to have a HPT-32 on its premises. The identity of the aircraft is X-3250
There also appears to be a “Mock up” model of an LCA Trainer – and we should say, a very well executed one at that. This led us to believe the Jaguar may have been a fake example but after close scrutiny, we decided the Jag looks quite original! And that was before we understood the french connection!
Problem here, Jaguar A105 killed French general Jacques Boichot in a crash on 5.4.83… Unless “repaired”?