HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Harrier, informally referred to as the Harrier jump jet, is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of
vertical/short takeoff and landing A vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft is an airplane able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft are a subset of V/STOL craft that do not require runways at al ...
operations (V/STOL). Named after a bird of prey, it was originally developed by British manufacturer Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s. The Harrier emerged as the only truly successful V/STOL design of the many attempted during that era. It was conceived to operate from improvised bases, such as car parks or forest clearings, without requiring large and vulnerable
air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...
s. Later, the design was adapted for use from
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
s. There are two generations and four main variants of the Harrier family, developed by both UK and US manufacturers: *
Hawker Siddeley Harrier The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is a British military aircraft. It was the first of the Harrier series of aircraft and was developed in the 1960s as the first operational ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft with vertical/short takeoff an ...
** British Aerospace Sea Harrier *
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primari ...
**
British Aerospace Harrier II The British Aerospace Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used previously by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and, between 2006 and 2010, the Royal Navy (RN). The aircraft was the latest develop ...
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is the first generation-version and is also known as the AV-8A or AV-8C Harrier; it was used by multiple air forces, including the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF) and the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
(USMC). The Sea Harrier is a
naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
strike/air defence fighter derived from the Hawker Siddeley Harrier; it was operated by both the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...
. During the 1980s, a second generation Harrier emerged, manufactured in the United States as the AV-8B and in Britain as the British Aerospace Harrier II respectively. By the start of the 21st century, the majority of the first generation Harriers had been withdrawn, many operators having chosen to procure the second generation as a replacement. In the long term, several operators have announced their intention to supplement or replace their Harrier fleets with the
STOVL A short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL aircraft) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is able to take off from a short runway (or take off vertically if it does not have a heavy payload) and land vertically (i.e. with no runway). The ...
variant of the
F-35 Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
, designated as the F-35B.


Development


Background

Throughout the 1950s, particularly in the years following the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, a number of aircraft companies in both Europe and America separately decided to investigate the prospective capabilities and viability of
vertical take-off and landing A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-win ...
(VTOL) aircraft, which would eliminate the requirement for vulnerable runways by taking off and landing vertically as opposed to the conventional horizontal approach.Mason 1967, p. 3. In addition to military applications, the prospect of applying such technology to commercial airliners was also viewed with considerable interest by the mid 1950s, thus the value of developing viable vertical take-off systems was judged to be substantial. However, during this era, few companies envisioned that a VTOL aircraft could also be compatible with the characteristics of high performance military aircraft. During 1957, following an approach by the British aero engine manufacturer
Bristol Engine Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable ...
, who were designing an innovative
vectored thrust Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), is the ability of an aircraft, rocket, or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) to control the attitude or angular velocity of the v ...
engine, British aviation conglomerate
Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that was responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history. History Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, which resulted in the bank ...
developed their design for an aeroplane that could meet an existing
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
specification calling for a ''"Light Tactical Support Fighter"''. Bristol's projected vectored thrust engine, which received the name ''Pegasus'',The name "
Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...
" for the engine was in keeping with Bristol's tradition of naming engines after figures from
classical mythology Classical mythology, Greco-Roman mythology, or Greek and Roman mythology is both the body of and the study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans as they are used or transformed by cultural reception. Along with philosophy and poli ...
.
harnessed rotatable ''cold'' jets which were positioned on either side of the compressor along with a 'hot' jet which was directed via a conventional central tailpipe; this concept had originated from Michel Wibault, a French aviation consultant. Throughout much of the early development work, there was no financial support for the project from
HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ec ...
; however, support for the engine development portion of the effort was sourced via NATO's
Mutual Weapon Development Program Mutual may refer to: *Mutual organization, where as customers derive a right to profits and votes *Mutual information, the intersection of multiple information sets *Mutual insurance, where policyholders have certain "ownership" rights in the orga ...
(MWDP).Mason 1967, p. 3.Jefford 2006, pp. 21–22. Senior project engineer
Ralph Hooper Ralph Spenser Hooper, OBE, FREng, FRAeS (30 January 1926 – 12 December 2022) was an English aeronautical engineer, recognised mostly for his work on the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, specifically in relation to the marriage between the Pegasus en ...
at Hawker promptly set about establishing an initial layout for a theoretical aircraft to take advantage of the Pegasus engine, using data provided by Bristol. During March 1959, the newly merged Hawker Siddeley decided to privately fund a pair of prototypes of the design, which had received the internal company designation of P.1127, to demonstrate the design's capabilities. During the 1960s, the P.1127 attracted the attention of the RAF; this would eventually result in the development and issuing of Requirement ASR 384, which sought a V/STOL aircraft for ground attack operations.Jefford 2006, p. 13. During late 1965, the RAF placed an order for six pre-production ''P.1127 (RAF)'' aircraft.Jenkins 1998, p. 21.


Requirements and emergence

Around the same time as the RAF's interest in the concept, NATO proceeded to develop their own specification,
NBMR-3 NBMR-3 or NATO Basic Military Requirement 3 was a document produced by a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) committee in the early 1960s detailing the specification of future combat aircraft designs. The requirement was for aircraft in two ...
, which called for a
vertical takeoff and landing A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-win ...
(VTOL) aircraft; specific requirements included the expectation for the performance of such an aircraft to be equivalent to the conventional
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and B ...
fighter. Specifications called for a supersonic V/STOL strike fighter with a combat radius of , a cruise speed of Mach 0.92, and a dash speed of Mach 1.5.Wood 1975, p. 215. During the early 1960s, Hawker commenced work upon developing a supersonic version of the P.1127, designated the ''P.1150'', culminating in the abortive Hawker P.1154. NBMR.3 also attracted ten other contenders, among which was P.1154's principal competitor, the
Dassault Mirage IIIV The Dassault Mirage IIIV, also spelled Mirage III V, was a French vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) prototype fighter aircraft of the mid-1960s developed and produced by Dassault Aviation. The Mirage IIIV was a VTOL derivative of an existi ...
. The P.1154 was ultimately selected to meet NBMR-3; however, this did not lead to orders being placed.Wood 1975, p. 216. On 6 December 1961, prior to the design being submitted to NATO, it was decided that the P.1154 would be developed with the requirements for use by both the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF) and
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
(RN).Buttler 2000, pp. 118–119. Following the cancellation of the NBMR-3 requirement, HSA focused all its attention on the British joint requirement.Wood 1975, p. 216. Accordingly, development of the type continued for some time; however, by October 1963, the Ministry of Aviation was concerned with the project's progress, and noted that the effort to combine a strike aircraft and a fighter in a single aircraft, and trying to fit that same airframe to both of the services, was "unsound".Buttler 2000, p. 120. On 2 February 1965, work on the P.1154 was cancelled by the new British government on grounds of cost at the point of prototype construction.Buttler 2000, p. 121. Irrespective of work on the P.1154 programme, development had continued on the subsonic P.1127 evaluation aircraft. A total of nine aircraft, known as the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel, was ordered and manufactured for testing.Mason 1967, p. 7. During 1964, the first of these had commenced flight operations; the Kestrel was assessed by the multinational "Tri-partite Evaluation Squadron", which consisted of British, US and German pilots, to determine how VTOL aircraft could be operated; the evaluations were finalised in November 1965. During 1966, following the cancellation of the P.1154, the RAF opted to proceed with ordering a modified derivative of the P.1127/Kestrel for service, which was designated the Harrier GR.1.Jenkins 1998, p. 21.


First-generation Harriers

The ''
Hawker Siddeley Harrier The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is a British military aircraft. It was the first of the Harrier series of aircraft and was developed in the 1960s as the first operational ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft with vertical/short takeoff an ...
GR.1/GR.3'' and the ''AV-8A Harrier'' were the first generation of the Harrier series, the first operational close-support and reconnaissance attack aircraft with vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities. These were developed directly from the Hawker P.1127 prototype and the Kestrel evaluation aircraft. On 18 April 1969, the Harrier GR.1 officially entered service with the RAF when the Harrier Conversion Unit at
RAF Wittering Royal Air Force Wittering or more simply RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire i ...
received its first aircraft.Evans 1998, pp. 21–22. The
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
(USMC) also chose to procure the type, receiving 102 AV-8A and 8 TAV-8A Harriers between 1971 and 1976.Nordeen 2006, p. 31. The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval V/STOL jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft; it was a navalised development of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. The first version entered service with the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
's
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
in April 1980 as the ''Sea Harrier FRS.1'', and was informally known as the ''Shar''.Grove 1987, pp. 319–320. Sea Harriers played a high-profile role in the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
of 1982, flying from the aircraft carriers HMS ''Invincible'' and HMS ''Hermes''. Wartime experiences led to the production of an improved model in the form of the upgraded ''Sea Harrier FA2''; this version entered operational service on 2 April 1993. The Sea Harrier was also procured by the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...
, where the first Indian Sea Harriers entered squadron service during December 1983.Hiranandani 2000, p. 276.


Second-generation Harriers

As early as 1973, Hawker Siddeley and American aviation manufacturer McDonnell Douglas were jointly working on development of a more capable version of the Harrier. Early efforts concentrated on the development of an improved Pegasus engine, designated the ''Pegasus 15'', which was being tested by
Bristol Siddeley Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd (BSEL) was a British aero engine manufacturer. The company was formed in 1959 by a merger of Bristol Aero-Engines Limited and Armstrong Siddeley Motors Limited. In 1961 the company was expanded by the purchase of t ...
.Wilson 2000, p. 26. During August 1981, the program received a boost when
British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
(BAe) and McDonnell Douglas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the UK's re-entry into the program. The Harrier was extensively redeveloped by McDonnell Douglas, and later joined by British Aerospace (now parts of
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
and
BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...
, respectively), leading to the family of second-generation V/STOL jet multi-role aircraft. The American designation for this was the ''
AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primari ...
''. On 12 December 1983, the first production AV-8B was delivered to the USMC. The AV-8B is primarily used for attack or multi-role tasks, typically operated from small
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
s.Nordeen 2006, p. 59. The RAF also chose to procure the second generation of the British Aerospace-built (with McDonnell Douglas as subcontractor) Harrier II GR5/GR7/GR9, which entered service in the mid-1980s.Jefford et al. 2006, pp. 81–82. This model was also operated by several other
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
countries, including Spain and Italy. In December 1989, the first RAF squadron to be equipped with the Harrier II was declared operational.Nordeen 2006, p. 68. The British Harrier II was used by the RAF and later by the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
up to 2010, at which point the Harrier II and the
Joint Force Harrier Joint Force Harrier, initially known as Joint Force 2000 and towards the end of its life as Joint Strike Wing, was the British military formation which controlled the British Aerospace Harrier II and British Aerospace Sea Harrier aircraft of ...
operational unit was disbanded as a cost-saving measure. Between 1969 and 2003, 824 Harrier variants were delivered. While the manufacture of new Harriers concluded in 1997, the last remanufactured aircraft (Harrier II Plus configuration) was delivered in December 2003, ending the Harrier production line.


Operation

The Harrier jump jet, though capable of taking off vertically, can do so only at less than its maximum loaded weight. In most cases a short take off is needed to lift the required amount of fuel and weapons needed for a training sortie/mission, using forward speed to supplement the jet lift with aerodynamic lift. A short takeoff also uses less fuel than a
vertical take off Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a t ...
. On some aircraft carriers, a ski-jump ramp is used at the bow of the carrier to help the aircraft become airborne. Landings are not usually done in a conventional manner because the range of speeds at which this is advisable is narrow due to the relatively vulnerable outrigger undercarriage. Operationally, a near-vertical landing with some forward speed is preferred; this technique is called
shipborne rolling vertical landing Shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) is a method used to land a V/STOL aircraft that uses both the vertical thrust from the jet engine and lift from the wings. A V/STOL aircraft normally either lands vertically or it makes a conventional run ...
(SRVL). Rotating the vectored thrust nozzles to some angle other than rearwards during normal flight (to a maximum of 8-degree forward of vertical, i.e. 98 deg.) is called vectoring in forward flight, or "VIFFing". This is a
dog-fighting Dog fighting is a type of blood sport that turns game and fighting dogs against each other in a physical fight, generally to the death, for the purposes of gambling or entertainment to the spectators. In rural areas, fights are often staged in ...
tactic, allowing for more sudden braking and higher turn rates. Braking could cause a chasing aircraft to overshoot and present itself as a target for the Harrier, a technique formally developed by the USMC for the Harrier in the early 1970s.Nordeen 2006, pp. 33–34.Spick 2000, pp. 382–383. This technique was much discussed in the media before the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
in 1982, but ultimately not used by British pilots in that conflict. However, the ability to rotate the nozzles slightly forwards did allow the aircraft to fly slowly backwards in the hover, which was widely used in British and American airshows. The wind direction is critical during VTOL manoeuvres because unless it enters the intake from straight ahead it will push the nose sideways as it turns to enter the intake (known as intake momentum drag). If not corrected immediately, the aircraft will roll out of control. The pilot has a wind vane in front of the windscreen to help keep pointing into the wind. The procedure for vertical takeoff involves facing the aircraft into the wind. The swivelling nozzles are pointed vertically downwards (thrust vector 90°) and the throttle is pushed to its maximum stop, at which point the aircraft leaves the ground. The throttle is adjusted until hovering is achieved at the desired altitude.Brown 1970, p. 83. The short-takeoff procedure involves proceeding with a normal takeoff and then rotating the nozzles partially downwards (a thrust vector less than 90°) at a speed below the normal takeoff speed; usually this is done at about . For a shorter takeoff run the thrust vector is greater for more jet lift. The reaction control system uses thrusters at the aircraft extremities, nose, tail and wingtips. Thrust from the engine can be temporarily syphoned to control the aircraft's pitch, roll and yaw before it is going fast enough for the elevators, rudder and ailerons to become effective. The Harrier has been described by pilots as "unforgiving" to fly. The aircraft is capable of forward flight (where it behaves like a fixed-wing aircraft above its stall speed) and
VTOL A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-win ...
(where the conventional
lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobil ...
and control surfaces are ineffective) along with
STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
. Accelerating and decelerating transitions between hovering and conventional flight required considerable skill and concentration on the part of the pilot, especially in crosswind conditions.Properly To Test, Book One "The Early Years",Reminiscences Of Flying At The Aeroplane And Armament Experimental Establishment Boscombe Down, Bernard Noble 2003, , Chapter 21 Merriman, p.178,179 Pilots for the combined UK/US/Germany trials on the Kestrel were first given several hours of helicopter tuitionJefford 2006, p. 41.
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
pilots destined for Harrier squadrons were usually selected from those with single-seat fast-jet experience. On two occasions the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
explored whether experienced helicopter pilots, with their ability to hover and transition to forward flight, would be a better source for Harrier squadrons. In both cases the pilots were completely out of their depth with conventional flight, navigation, orientation and weapons delivery at the high speeds of a fast jet. With the introduction of two-seat Harriers, less experienced pilots were introduced. The
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
also started with very experienced pilots, who were mostly test pilots. In addition to normal flight controls, the Harrier has a lever for controlling the direction of the four vectoring nozzles. Pilots were impressed that to control the aircraft's vertical flight required only a single lever added in the cockpit.Jefford 2006, p. 42. For horizontal flight, the nozzles are directed rearwards by shifting the lever to the forward position; for short or vertical takeoffs and landings, the lever is pulled back to point the nozzles downward.Jenkins 1998, p. 25.


Replacement

During 2010, it was announced that the RAF and RN would retire their remaining Harriers by 2011,"Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The Strategic Defence and Security Review"
. ''HM Government'', 19 October 2010. Retrieved: 19 October 2010.
and in December 2010 the RAF's Harrier GR9s made their last operational flights."Harrier jump jets make final flight from RAF Cottesmore"
BBC News,
In June 2011, the MoD denied press reports that the aircraft were to be sold to the
US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
for spares to support their AV-8B fleet. However, at the end of November 2011, Defence Minister
Peter Luff Sir Peter James Luff (born 18 February 1955) is Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Formerly a British Conservative Party politician, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Worcestershire ...
announced the sale of the final 72 Harriers to the
US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, with the aircraft to be used as sources of spare parts for the Marine Corps' airworthy fleet. , the
STOVL A short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL aircraft) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is able to take off from a short runway (or take off vertically if it does not have a heavy payload) and land vertically (i.e. with no runway). The ...
variant of the
F-35 Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
(formerly the ''Joint Strike Fighter''), designated the F-35B, is intended to replace the AV-8B Harrier II in service with the
US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
"Harrier Production"
Harrier.org.uk. Retrieved: 21 July 2011.
while the
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
and
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
are scheduled to introduce the F-35B in 2016 with their first F35 unit,
617 Squadron Number 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron, originally based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and currently based at RAF Marham in Norfolk. It is commonly known as "''The Dambusters''", for its actions during Operation Chastis ...
. Italian Navy AV-8Bs are also slated to be replaced by 15 (originally 22) F-35Bs, which will form the air wing of ''Cavour''. During the first half of 2016, the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...
retired the last of their remaining 11 Sea Harriers, which had been operating from INS ''
Viraat Viraat is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by H. Vasu and written by M. S. Ramesh. The film, produced by C. Kalyan under Theja Cinemas banner, features Darshan as the lead protagonist whilst newcomers Vidhisha Sriv ...
'' (formerly ), in favour of the conventional
Mikoyan MiG-29K The Mikoyan MiG-29K (russian: Микоян МиГ-29K; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-D) is a Russian all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau. The MiG-29K was developed in the late 1980s from ...
. Starting in 2007, Spain was looking to replace its Harrier IIs – with the likely option being the F-35B. The Spanish government, in May 2014 however, announced that it had decided to extend the aircraft's service life to beyond 2025 due to a lack of funds for a replacement aircraft.


Variants

; Hawker P.1127 : (1960) ; Kestrel FGA.1 : (1964) ; Harrier GR.1/1A/3/3A : (from 1966) ; Harrier T.2/2A/4/4A/8/52/60 : (from 1970) ; AV-8A/C/S Harrier Mk.50/53/55/Matador ; TAV-8A/S Harrier Mk.54/Matador ; Sea Harrier FRS.1/FRS.51/F(A).2 : (from 1978) ; AV-8B Harrier II/EAV-8B Matador II/AV-8B Harrier II Night Attack/AV-8B Harrier II Plus : (from 1983) ; TAV-8B Harrier II/ETAV-8B Matador II/ ; Harrier GR.5/5A/7/7A/9/9A : (from 1985) ; Harrier T.10/12 File:Hawker P. 1127 - NASA.jpg, The Hawker P.1127, predecessor to the Harrier File:Harrierxv752.jpg, An RAF Harrier GR3 on display at Bletchley Park, England File:SeaHarriers FA2 in Persian Gulf.jpg, Royal Navy Sea Harrier FA2s of
801 Naval Air Squadron 801 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm squadron of the Royal Navy formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War. Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force The squadron was formed on 3 April 1933 as part ...
on the deck of HMS ''Illustrious'' in the Persian Gulf File:Harrier AV-8B.jpg, US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier File:AV-8B Harrier landing aboard Principe de Asturias (R11).jpg, AV-8B Harrier landing aboard ''Principe de Asturias'' File:Bae harrier gr9 zg502 takeoff arp.jpg,
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Harrier GR9 arrives at
RIAT The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military air show, held annually in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show typically attracts a t ...
2008


Operators

; *
Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...
(former) ; *
Italian Navy "Fatherland and Honour" , patron = , colors = , colors_label = , march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...
; *
Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...
; *
Royal Thai Navy The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known a ...
(former) ; *
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(former) *
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
(former) ; *
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...


Specifications

An unusual feature of the Harrier family of aircraft is their use of two types of
flight control A conventional fixed-wing aircraft flight control system consists of flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction in flight. Aircraft e ...
to provide pitch, roll and yaw control: conventional control surfaces for wingborne flight, and a system of reaction control valves directing jets of
bleed air Bleed air is compressed air taken from the compressor stage of a gas turbine upstream of its fuel-burning sections. Automatic air supply and cabin pressure controller (ASCPCs) valves bleed air from high or low stage engine compressor sections. Lo ...
from the high-pressure compressor of the engine out through the extremities of the nose, tail, and at the wingtips during
vectored thrust Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), is the ability of an aircraft, rocket, or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) to control the attitude or angular velocity of the v ...
–borne flight and hover modes. The two systems are fully interlinked but air is not supplied to the reaction control valves during conventional wingborne flight. : Sources: NordeenNordeen 2006, Appendix C.


See also


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* Brown, Kevin
"The Plane That Makes Airfields Obsolete"
''Popular Mechanics'', 133(6), June 1970, pp. 80–83. * Buttler, Tony. ''British Secret Projects: Jet Fighters Since 1950''. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2000. . * * * Jefford, C.G., ed
''The RAF Harrier Story.''
London: Royal Air Force Historical Society, 2006. . * Jenkins, Dennis R. ''Boeing/BAe Harrier''. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 1998. . * Markman, Steve and Bill Holder. ''Straight Up: A History of Vertical Flight''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2000. . * Mason, Francis K. ''The Hawker P.1127 and Kestrel (Aircraft in Profile 93)''. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. * * Spick, Mike and Bill Gunston. ''The Great Book of Modern Warplanes''. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing, 2000. . * *


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * Polmar, Norman, and Dana Bell. ''One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 2003. . * * * * * Bishop, Chris and Chris Chant. ''Aircraft Carriers''. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: Zenith Imprint, 2004. . * Braybrook, Roy
''Battle for the Falklands: Air Forces''.
Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1982. . * Bull, Stephen. ''Encyclopedia of Military Rechnology and Innovation''. Westport, Connecticut, USA: Greenwood Publishing, 2004. . * Burr, Lawrence and Peter Bull. ''US Fast Battleships 1938–91: The Iowa Class''. New York, USA: Osprey Publishing, 2010. . * Congress Committee on Appropriations. "Department of Defense Appropriations for 1979: Part 5". Washington D.C., USA: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979. * Cowan, Charles W. (ed.) ''Flypast 2''. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1972. . * Davies, Peter and Anthony M. Thornborough. ''The Harrier Story''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1997. . * Evans, Andy. ''BAe/McDonald Douglas Harrier''. Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press, 1998. . * Farley, John, OBE. ''A View From The Hover: My Life In Aviation''. Bath, UK: Seager Publishing/Flyer Books, 2010, first edition 2008. . * Freedman, Lawrence. ''The Official History of the Falklands Campaign. Volume II: War and Diplomacy''. London, UK: Routledge, 2007. . * Friedman, Norman. ''U.S. Aircraft Carriers: an Illustrated Design History''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1983. . * Gunston, W. T

''Flight International'', 22 January 1977, pp. 189–191. * Hannah, Donald. ''Hawker FlyPast Reference Library''. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing Ltd., 1982. . * Jackson, Paul. "British Aerospace/McDonnell Douglas Harrier". ''World Air Power Journal'', Volume 6, Summer 1991. pp. 46–105. * James, Derek N. ''Hawker, an Aircraft Album No. 5''. New York: Arco Publishing Company, 1973. . (First published in the UK by Ian Allan in 1972) * Layman, R D and Stephen McLaughlin. ''The Hybrid Warship''. London: Conway, 1991. . * Mason, Francis K. ''Harrier''. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens Limited, Third edition, 1986. . * Mason, Francis K. ''Hawker Aircraft since 1920''. London: Putnam, 1991. * Miller, David M. O. and Chris Miller. "Modern Naval Combat". Crescent Books, 1986. . * Moxton, Julian

''Flight International'', 4 December 1982, pp. 1633–1635. * Sturtivant, Ray. ''Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946. '' Tonbridge, Kent, UK:
Air-Britain Air-Britain, traditionally sub-titled "The International Association of Aviation Enthusiasts", is a non-profit aviation society founded in July 1948. As from 2015, it is constituted as a British charitable trust and book publisher. History Air-Brit ...
(Historians), 2004. . * Sturtivant, Ray. ''RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK:
Air-Britain Air-Britain, traditionally sub-titled "The International Association of Aviation Enthusiasts", is a non-profit aviation society founded in July 1948. As from 2015, it is constituted as a British charitable trust and book publisher. History Air-Brit ...
(Historians), 2007. . * Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. Putnam Aeronautical, 1990. . * Vann, Frank. ''Harrier jump jet''. New York, USA: Bdd Promotional Book Co, 1990. . *


External links


''The P.1127 Analysed''
nbsp;– a 1962 ''
Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
'' article on the Hawker P.1127
''P.1127 Development''
nbsp;– a 1963 ''Flight International'' article on the development of the Hawker P.1127
British Aerospace Sea Harrier



Harrier history website





Photographs of Harrier G R Mk 7 deployed aboard HMS Illustrious




at Boeing.com
AV-8B Harrier II fact sheet
an

at Navy.mil

at globalsecurity.org
McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace AV-8B Harrier II Attack Fighter page
on Aerospaceweb.org
3D view of Harrier AV-8B
at the National Museum of the Marines Corps site * Greg Goebe


Photos of this aircraft on Airliners.net

Defense Industry Daily: AV-8B Harrier finding Success in Iraq (30 March 2005)


{{Authority control
Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/ vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...
1970s British attack aircraft 1980s British attack aircraft 1960s British experimental aircraft 1960s British fighter aircraft 1970s British fighter aircraft 1980s British fighter aircraft British inventions Carrier-based aircraft P1127 Harrier History of science and technology in the United Kingdom McDonnell Douglas aircraft Single-engined jet aircraft V-08AB Harrier II 1980s United States attack aircraft V/STOL aircraft by thrust vectoring