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News18
09-07-2025
- General
- News18
Jaguar Fighter Aircraft: 3 Crashes Since March, 50+ Mishaps In 45 Years, Time To Phase Out The Jets?
Jaguar Fighter Aircraft Crash: Inducted in IAF in 1979 and crucial in Kargil war, some feel India should phase out the jets, just like Britain and France, others disagree Jaguar Fighter Aircraft Crash: Wednesday's Jaguar fighter aircraft crash near Bhanuda village in Rajasthan's Churu district, which killed two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, has given rise to one question – Is it time to phase out the jets? This was the third crash involving the aircraft since March this year. According to media reports, this fleet of aircraft has suffered over 50 major and minor incidents in its 45-year service with the IAF, some of which have been fatal. When were Jaguar fighter aircraft inducted? The SEPECAT Jaguar is a twin-engine, ground-attack aircraft primarily designed for deep penetration strike missions, especially against high-value ground targets in contested airspace. The IAF received its first Jaguars in 1979. The first squadron to be equipped with Jaguars was No. 14 Squadron, also known as the 'Bulls', based at Ambala Air Force Station. India initially purchased the Jaguars under the name Shamsher in IAF service. The aircraft were manufactured under licence by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India. The Indian Air Force currently operates approximately 115 to 120 SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft across six squadrons. However, only about 83 of these are fully operational as of April 2025. Were Jaguars used during Kargil War? Are Jaguar aircraft easy to maintain? Around 50+ crashes have been recorded, with roughly 65 aircraft lost by 2015. Each flight hour demands around 20 hours of upkeep. An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been deeply regrets the loss of lives and… — Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 9, 2025 What was the cause of Jaguar aircraft crashes? According to experts, many of the crashes involving the Jaguar fighter jets were a result of failures in the Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 804 and Mk 811 engines. Experts say that one of the biggest concerns with these engines is the thrust output, which is inadequate in India's hot-and-high flying conditions, especially from forward air bases near the Himalayas. Moreover, the availability of spare parts for the Mk 804/811 engines has become a serious logistical bottleneck. Should Jaguar aircraft be phased out? Yes, says one expert Tim Davis, a former Royal Air Force instructor in an IRDW report, stated, 'Even with engine and avionics upgrades, you still face issues with airframe fatigue. There's only so much of an aircraft you can replace. It comes down this: even one pilot death is a tragedy. And the older the aircraft gets, the higher the risks." 'Jaguar could be retained longer': Expert explains why and how Military analyst and retired Jaguar pilot squadron leader Vijainder K Thakur, wrote in EurAsian Times last September, 'One reason why the Jaguar has remained relevant is that the IAF has adopted the fighter for medium-altitude stand-off strikes." According to Thakur, since its initial induction, the IAF has continuously upgraded the Jaguar to improve its stand-off attack, strike range, and target acquisition capabilities. Thakur wrote that these upgrades, referred to as DARIN (Display Attack Ranging Inertial Navigation) upgrades, were done in three phases: DARIN-1, DARIN-2, and DARIN-3. 'Clearly, the Jaguar is now a potent platform despite being somewhat underpowered. It could be retained in service longer than currently projected to prevent the unacceptable depletion of IAF fighter aircraft inventory. Indeed, that may well be the case," wrote Thakur. 'However, longer service retention could only be achieved by reducing the aircraft's monthly flying hours," he suggested. Does the IAF plan to phase out Jaguar jets? The IAF is expected to begin phasing out its older Jaguar models 2027-28 onwards. But amid delays in acquiring the HAL Tejas Mk2, Rafale, and Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, it will have to extend the life of these outdated planes. The complete phasing out is scheduled by 2035-2040, according to media reports. Do other countries fly Jaguar jets? Countries like Britain, France, Ecuador, Nigeria and Oman, which once had Jaguars in their fleet, have retired them long ago, with some have been put on display in air museums. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Indian Air Force (IAF) jaguar Jaguar fighter jet Jaguars view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 09, 2025, 19:19 IST News explainers Jaguar Fighter Aircraft: 3 Crashes Since March, 50+ Mishaps In 45 Years, Time To Phase Out The Jets? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New York Post
04-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
Where rain could disrupt Fourth of July weekend festivities
While a cold front impacting the East on Thursday will have moved out by Friday, that doesn't mean clear skies for everyone's Fourth of July festivities. There are still plenty of areas where you'll need to be prepared for the possibility of rain at your outdoor events, fireworks displays, and parades this holiday weekend. The FOX Forecast Center said another wave of storms is moving across the northern tier, and the Southeast will still be dodging tropical showers. Elsewhere, it looks like FOX Weather's exclusive Risk of Weather Impact (ROWI) will be very low for most Americans, meaning fireworks can go off with a bang. Northeast and mid-Atlantic Dry and seasonably warm days are expected through Friday and into the weekend, following the departure of a series of cold fronts. Temperatures will generally be in the 80s. The FOX Forecast Center said no weather-related impacts are anticipated for most of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, which are under a zero ROWI. 4 While a cold front impacting the East on Thursday will have moved out by Friday, that doesn't mean clear skies for everyone's Fourth of July festivities. Tim Davis – Southeast A gradual increase from low to medium ROWI is expected across parts of the Southeast. The area to watch in the region still has the potential to develop into a tropical system. On Friday, most showers will be concentrated over Florida, with some moisture possibly extending into the Carolinas and the Gulf Coast. Outside of Florida, much of the Southeast should remain mostly dry. Northern Plains and Upper Midwest 4 The FOX Forecast Center said another wave of storms is moving across the northern tier, and the Southeast will still be dodging tropical showers. FOX Weather 4 Dry and seasonably warm days are expected through Friday and into the weekend, following the departure of a series of cold fronts. FOX Weather The FOX Forecast Center said the northern Plains and Upper Midwest will be the hotspot for potential Fourth of July disruptions. A series of disturbances will track across those regions, bringing the threat of storms, some of which could be severe, by Friday evening. States like Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Nebraska could experience a high ROWI. It won't be a total washout, but localized impacts are possible, the FOX Forecast Center noted. Rest of the country 4 Reports say you'll need to be prepared for the possibility of rain at your outdoor events, fireworks displays, and parades this holiday weekend. lightscience – Calm conditions will dominate the rest of the country. The entire West is clear of significant weather, and while the Southwest and southern Plains may see isolated pop-up showers, they're expected to be brief and minor. The ROWI remains low to zero across the board, the FOX Forecast Center added.
Otago Daily Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Davis joins fellow farmers in scheme to accelerate beef genetic benefits
Central Otago farmer Tim Davis is a new commercial farmer in the (Informing New Zealand Beef programme. He talks to Shawn McAvinue about his reasons for joining the programme and how he is usoing genetic data from his herd to improve his beef business. Central Otago sheep and beef farmer Tim Davis has joined a group of farmers in a programme aiming to increase the use of high-quality genetics in the beef industry. "We are trying to accelerate our genetic gain. As a farmer, you always have to get more efficient. If you don't change, you'll be struggling in 10 years' time. You've always got to be looking to improve." The Informing New Zealand Beef programme aims to boost the sector's profits by $460 million. Another 10 commercial beef farmers from across New Zealand were recently selected to be part of the programme including Mr Davis' farm Longacre Station in Lindis Valley. The 3340ha Longacre Station spans from the valley to the foot of St Bathans Range and includes 300ha of irrigated flats and 800ha of cultivatable hills. Livestock usually run on the station consists of 180 cows, 60 heifers and up to 6000 merino ewes, about half of them producing ultrafine wool. The size of the heifer herd halved due to dry conditions biting between November and mid-April. Mr Davis left a career as an interest rate derivatives trader, working for banks in Sydney, London, Singapore and United States, to be the third generation of his family to run the station since 1960. Mr Davis wanted his commercial farm Longacre Station to be in the programme because he was exploring an idea of artificially inseminating his heifers and the programme appealed because it paid the cost to get genetic evaluations of his 180 beef cows. He pays the $50 cost per animal to test his calves. A DNA sample from the ear of cattle was sent to Zoetis Genetics to produce data including breeding-value predictions. The genetic data was used on Longacre Station to help select replacement heifers. Any heifers which failed to make the cut were sold for fattening. A herd of 14-month-old heifers on Longacre Station, weighing between 375kg and 400kg, were put to a bull. Previously, the top 25% of heifers to be mated and return to the herd were selected by eye. "We used to just take the biggest." The genetic data for the heifers shows the biggest were not always the best for producing the most profit. Two heifers could look identical but one had data to show it had greater potential to produce calve which grew to heavier weights faster. All of the calves born on Longacre Station remained there for a year, wintered on fodder beet until October. Steer yearling calves were sold to Pete Jolly's fattening enterprise in Tarras. "We want high growth rates up to a yearling for us but we also want really good carcass traits so he [Mr Jolly] makes money at the other end." The genetics of the steers allowing them to be finish quickly to heavier weights and fetch premiums, such as intramuscular fat, which would help the continue the business relationship with Mr Jolly. Sires used on the farm were a composite bull from Earnscleugh Station and an Angus bull from Storth Oaks in King Country. He paid $13,000 for composite bull EHCC 233019 from Earnscleugh Station this year. The rising 2-year-old bull is the progeny of sire GW Copperhead 919G and dam Selby 155006. Longacre Station selected bull breeds, such as composite and Angus, to ensure the progeny had "hybrid vigour" from crossbreeding. Composite cattle suited his farm system. "They are easy calving, really docile and they fatten really quickly ... we can finish them in about 16 months." Possums were spreading bovine tuberculosis in the area. The disease had not been detected in his herd but if it was, the only option was to finish all the calves themselves so the better genetics would help get them to heavier weights and get them on the truck to the meatworks earlier. Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries' Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund support the seven-year programme developing New Zealand-specific breeding indexes, running a beef progeny test and linking in data from commercial herds. As part of the programme, online genetics tool nProve Beef was launched in March to help farmers select the best bulls for their farm business. The nProve tool would make it possible for farmers to compare a bull's estimated breeding values with "hard data", such as growth rates on farm, Mr Davis said. Programme commercial herds project lead Sonya Shaw said the 10 new farms in the programme increased the number of properties to 47. This would be the final intake of commercial farmers to the programme, Dr Shaw said. Commercial farms were an important part of the programme, as they provide increased linkages throughout the beef industry and contribute to genetic evaluations through recording data and incorporation of data into breeding value prediction, Dr Shaw said. "Ultimately this will increase the accuracy with which breeding values, or genetic merit, can be estimated." The programme helped commercial farmers understand the value of better genetics and offered them the opportunity to easily select the right genetics for their system to drive greater profitability on their farms. The 10 new farmers were from Otago, Marlborough, Wellington Manawatu-Whanganui, Hawke's Bay, Waikato and Northland. Cattle breeds represented on those farms comprise Angus, South Devon, Angus-Charolais-Simmental cross and composite cattle. Participation in the programme helps the farmers to achieve more accurate heifer selection in their herds, she said. "Which will have a lasting impact on these commercial herds' progress." The commercial farmers provide the programme with accurate pedigree recording, assessing bull teams' performances, ensuring accurate information for heifer replacement selection and work with their bull breeders to make more rapid genetic progress. Farmers adopt a recording schedule across the year and could carry out genotyping of their cow herd and calves and sires. "They are also able to benchmark their herd against others involved in the programme," Dr Shaw said.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cross Switch expands to Kenya with Pesawise tie-up
Payment solutions provider Cross Switch has expanded its African foothold with the introduction of its service in Kenya and alliance with a licenced local payment provider Pesawise. This collaboration utilises Pesawise's regulatory status to facilitate Cross Switch's launch in Kenya, aiming to provide payment solutions to businesses, merchants, and charitable organisations. It enables Kenyan merchants to access Cross Switch's global payments infrastructure, offering a variety of payment channels such as Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, mobile money, and bank platforms. The unified platform from Cross Switch is designed to streamline payment processing, reduce costs, and speed up transaction settlements for businesses. The company's services are already in use by merchants in various sectors across Africa and Latin America, including hospitality, e-commerce, delivery services, and cryptocurrency where regulations permit. Cross Switch CEO Tim Davis said: 'During the establishment phase of this partnership it is refreshing to see a shared common set of values with Pesawise, to provide our customers with best-in-class service levels and straightforward solutions. 'And a common mission to democratise technology and drive social impact across Africa. With their exceptional team and proven ability to provide relevant value-added services, we believe Pesawise will excel in the fast-moving fintech space.' Cross Switch aims to deliver payment solutions along with fraud prevention, risk management, and effective reconciliation capabilities. Pesawise CEO Jamal Khan stated: 'We're thrilled to take this next step in our journey with Cross Switch as our technology partner. Their deep knowledge and robust technology solutions will enable us to provide innovative solutions tailored to the needs of emerging markets. 'Together, we aim to strengthen the digital payments ecosystem in Kenya. We've already secured key wins together—including supporting merchants like Glovo Kenya—through a combination of Cross Switch's expertise and our dedicated local team.' "Cross Switch expands to Kenya with Pesawise tie-up " was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Finextra
15-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Cross Switch goes live in Kenya
Cross Switch, a provider of class-leading payment solutions, has strengthened its African presence by officially launching services in Kenya and partnering with licensed local payment provider Pesawise. 0 This collaboration makes the most of Pesawise's solid regulatory standing and trusted reputation, allowing Cross Switch to establish it's footprint and, together with Pesawise, immediately deliver robust payment solutions to businesses, merchants, and charitable organizations throughout Kenya. Cross Switch brings to the partnership a highly scalable global payments infrastructure, allowing merchants simple and frictionless acceptance across multiple payment channels, including Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, mobile money and bank platforms. Through Cross Switch's unified platform, businesses can now take advantage of simplified payment processing, significantly reduced costs, and faster transaction settlements. The Cross Switch solution is tailored to support businesses of every shape and size, driving financial inclusion while at the same time empowering social impact organisations. Numerous merchants across multiple sectors, including hospitality, e-commerce and delivery services and crypto (in approved markets) are already using Cross Switch's innovative solutions on the African Continent and across Latin America. The confidence the Kenyan market has already shown in Cross Switch has already shown immediate effect in Kenya with the with Pesawise partnership. Cross Switch has a powerful track record of success, and it relies on Pesawise, a nimble locally licensed payment provider with a young and dynamic management team, to contribute meaningfully to Cross Switch's growth ambitions and customer-focused philosophy. Cross Switch's CEO, Tim Davis, remarked 'During the establishment phase of this partnership it is refreshing to see a shared common set of values with Pesawise, to provide our customers with best-in-class service levels and straightforward solutions. And a common mission to democratize technology and drive social impact across Africa. With their exceptional team and proven ability to provide relevant value-added services, we believe Pesawise will excel in the fast-moving fintech space.' Pesawise, a fully regulated and authorised Payment Service Provider, is in good standing with the Central Bank of Kenya, ensuring rigorous compliance and secure handling of merchant funds in trusted Tier-1 banks. Jamal Khan, Pesawise's CEO said, 'We're thrilled to take this next step in our journey with Cross Switch as our technology partner. Their deep knowledge and robust technology solutions will enable us to provide innovative solutions tailored to the needs of emerging markets. Together, we aim to strengthen the digital payments ecosystem in Kenya. We've already secured key wins together—including supporting merchants like Glovo Kenya—through a combination of Cross Switch's expertise and our dedicated local team.' As it has done in all markets, Cross Switch is committed to delivering advanced payment solutions backed by exceptional fraud prevention, risk management, and efficient reconciliation capabilities, further strengthening its value proposition in an evolving financial landscape.
