Thunder & Lightnings

SEPECAT Jaguar - Survivor XX765

GR.1 ACT XX765 - RAF Museum Midlands, RAF Cosford, Shropshire

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Jaguar GR.1 ACT XX765 at Cosford, 13th May 2023; Damien Burke

XX765 was withdrawn from RAF service to demonstrate the feasibility of Active Control Technology, known as ACT. This airframe was used to test fly-by-wire (FBW) technology, resulting in this system replacing all the control rods and linkages in XX765. The airframe was modified too, when it was fitted with large leading-edge extensions to move the centre of lift forward and ballast in the rear fuselage to move the centre of gravity rearwards.

These trials began in October 1981 and the test pilots were rather impressed with the aircraft's control responses and smoother fight. The manoeuvrability of the airframe was enhanced, new computer-controlled flight commands providing split-second corrections to compensate for the unstable configuration. The fly-by-wire program with the Jaguar came to an end in September 1984 after 96 flights. Much of the information from this program was used in the Eurofighter Typhoon development.

In 1991 XX765 was then loaned to Loughborough University by BAe for study by aeronautical engineering students. While at the University, the aircraft gained a rather odd overall green colour. Once the University had finished with the aircraft, it was moved by road to the RAF Museum at Cosford in September 1994 and was placed on display in the Flight Test exhibition, still initially wearing her dark green colours. British Aerospace apprentices soon repainted the airframe back into it's original raspberry ripple colours.

Sadly, the direction of travel at what is now "RAF Museum Midlands" is to clear out the world class collection of prototypes and development aircraft, disposing of many of them, and putting others into external store. XX765 is currently parked outside - an absolutely disgraceful situation for a national museum that seems hell bent on weakening its unique collection.

Information on this page current as of 15/05/2023, last updated by Damien

Find other photos of XX765 on the following sites:

Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net