Direct proof of use
The SEPECAT Jaguar is directly documented in the 1990 Gulf War in both French and British service. The French Ministry of Armed Forces says French Jaguar aircraft deployed under Operation Daguet and struck Al Jaber air base in Kuwait on January 17, 1991, while contemporary French aviation reporting describes a 12-aircraft Jaguar attack on the same Iraqi-held base.
The Royal Air Force Air Historical Branch records 12 Jaguar GR1A aircraft from RAF Coltishall deploying for Operation Granby, initially to Thumrait in Oman and then to Muharraq in Bahrain before Operation Desert Storm. The RAF narrative states that the detachment was chiefly used for air interdiction against ground targets in Kuwait and Iraq, with reconnaissance and anti-surface warfare against Iraqi naval vessels as secondary roles.
Sources: Operation Daguet - Armee de l Air, AeroMorning Jaguars sur Al Jaber, RAF Jaguar Operations in Operation Granby
Timeline
After Iraq's August 2, 1990 invasion of Kuwait, British planners selected the Jaguar for rapid deployment because RAF Harrier and Jaguar squadrons were held at 72 hours' notice to move and the Jaguar was fully operational for out-of-area basing. The initial RAF detachment comprised 12 aircraft, including reconnaissance-capable GR1As, 24 pilots, nearly 300 ground personnel, and weapon stocks for intensive operations.
On January 17, 1991, French Jaguar aircraft attacked Al Jaber air base in occupied Kuwait during the opening day of Desert Storm. RAF Jaguar GR1 aircraft also appear in declassified Operation Granby mission reporting for the January 16 to February 23 air-campaign period, including an eight-aircraft January 31 attack on hangars at Shaibah airfield southwest of Basra.
Sources: RAF Jaguar Operations in Operation Granby, Operation Daguet - Armee de l Air, AeroMorning Jaguars sur Al Jaber, Selected Tornado and Jaguar Mission Reports
Operational role
The French Jaguar role documented here was direct strike. French accounts place the aircraft at Al Ahsa in Saudi Arabia and describe the January 17 Al Jaber mission as a low-altitude attack against an Iraqi-held Kuwaiti air base associated with Scud and surface-to-air missile storage. AeroMorning reports that four of the 12 French Jaguars were hit by ground fire, with no pilot killed, and that the experience led France to stop low-altitude missions of that kind.
The RAF Jaguar role was broader but still centered on daytime attack missions. The RAF history says the detachment expected to use low-level conventional weapons but shifted tactics as the campaign developed. It documents air interdiction, anti-shipping and anti-surface tasks, and photographic reconnaissance; it also records Jaguar weapons employment totals in Desert Storm, including 1,000 lb bombs and CBU-87 cluster bombs, while cautioning that battle-damage assessment was often limited.
The cited sources support coalition use by French Air Force and Royal Air Force Jaguar units in the 1990 Gulf War. They support strike, interdiction, reconnaissance, and anti-surface roles; they do not support Iraqi use of the Jaguar in this conflict.
Sources: AeroMorning Jaguars sur Al Jaber, RAF Jaguar Operations in Operation Granby, Selected Tornado and Jaguar Mission Reports
