Boeing AV-8B Harrier II Plus

General Characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Length: 46 ft 4 in (14.12 m)
• Wingspan: 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m)
• Height: 11 ft 8 in (3.55 m)
• Wing area: 243.4 sq ft (22.61 m²)
• Airfoil: supercritical airfoil
• Empty weight: 13,968 lb (6,340 kg)
• Loaded weight: 22,950 lb (10,410 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: **
  • Rolling: 31,000 lb (14,100 kg)
  • Vertical: 20,755 lb (9,415 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) vectored-thrust turbofan, 23,500 lbf (105 kN)

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0.9 (585 knots, 673 mph, 1,083 km/h)
• Range: 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km)
• Combat radius: 300 nmi (350 mi, 556 km)
• Ferry range: 1,800 nmi (2,100 mi, 3,300 km)
• Rate of climb: 14,700 ft/min (75 m/s)
• Wing loading: 94.29 lb/(sq ft) (460.4 kg/m²)

Armament

• Guns: 1× General Dynamics GAU-12 Equalizer 25 mm (0.984 in) 5-barreled Rotary cannon mounted under-fuselage in the left pod, with 300 rounds of ammunition in the right pod
• Hardpoints: 6× under-wing pylon stations holding up to 9,200 lb (4,200 kg) of payload:
• Rockets: ** 4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 or APKWS 70 mm rockets)
• Missiles: ** Air-to-air missiles:
  • • 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or similar-sized infrared-guided missiles
    • 6× AIM-120 AMRAAM (on radar equipped AV-8B Plus variants)
  • Air-to-surface missiles:
    • 6× AGM-65 Maverick; or
    • 2× AGM-84 Harpoon; or
    • 2× AGM-88 HARM
• Bombs:
  • CBU-100 cluster bombs (CBUs)
  • Mark 80 series of unguided bombs (including 3 kg [6.6 lb] and 14 kg [31 lb] practice bombs)
  • Paveway series of laser-guided bombs (LGBs)
  • Joint Direct Attack Munitions (GBU-38, GBU-32, and GBU-54)
  • Mark 77 fire bomb
  • B61 nuclear bomb
• Others:
  • up to 4× 300/330/370 US Gallon drop tanks (pylon stations No. 2, 3, 4, & 5 are wet plumbed)
  • Intrepid Tiger II electronic jammer

Avionics

• Raytheon APG-65 radar
• AN/AAQ-28V LITENING targeting pod (on AV-8B Night Attack and radar-equipped AV-8B Plus variants)

Variants

YAV-8B

Two prototypes converted in 1978 from existing AV-8A airframes (BuNos 158394 and 158395).

AV-8B Harrier II sans suffix

The initial “day attack” variant.

AV-8B Harrier II Night Attack

Improved version with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera, an upgraded cockpit with night-vision goggle compatibility, and the more powerful Rolls Royce Pegasus 11 engine.  This variant was originally planned to be designated AV-8D.

AV-8B Harrier II Plus

Similar to the Night Attack variant, with the addition of an APG-65 radar and separate targeting pod. It is used by the USMC, Spanish Navy, and Italian Navy. Forty-six new-built aircraft were assembled from 1993 to 1997.

TAV-8B Harrier II

Two-seat trainer version.

EAV-8B Matador II

Company designation for the Spanish Navy version.

EAV-8B Matador II Plus

The AV-8B Harrier II Plus, ordered for the Spanish Navy.

Harrier GR5, GR7, GR9

Hawker Siddeley GR.3 Harrier

General Characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 46 ft 10 in (14.27 m)
• Wingspan: 25 ft 3 in (7.70 m)
• Height: 11 ft 11 in (3.63 m)
• Wing area: 201.1 ft² (18.68 m²)
• Empty weight: 13,535 lb (6,140 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 25,200 lb (11,430 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus 103 turbofan with four swivelling nozzles, 21,500 lbf (95.6 kN) Four vertical flight puffer jets use engine bleed air, mounted in the nose, wingtips, and tail.

Performance

• Maximum speed: 730 mph (635 knots, 1,176 km/h) at sea level
• Combat radius: 230 mi (200 nmi, 370 km) lo-lo-lo with 4,400 lb (2,000 kg) payload
• Ferry range: 2,129 mi (1,850 nmi, 3,425 km)
• Endurance: 1 hr 30 min (combat air patrol – 115 mi (185 km) from base)
• Service ceiling: 51,200 ft (15,600 m)
• Time to climb to 40,000 ft (12,200 m): 2 min 23 s

Armament

• Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN cannon pods under the fuselage
• Hardpoints: 4× under-wing & 1× under-fuselage pylon stations with a capacity of 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Rockets: 4× Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each
  • Missiles: 2× AIM-9 Sidewinders Air-to-air missiles
  • Bombs: A variety of unguided iron bombs, BL755 cluster bombs or laser-guided bombs
  • Others:
    • 1× Reconnaissance pod
    • 2× drop tanks for extended range/loitering time

Variants

Harrier GR.1, GR.1A, GR.3

Single-seat versions for the RAF. The RAF ordered 118 of the GR.1/GR.3 series,  with the last production aircraft delivery in December 1986. 122 built.

AV-8A, AV-8C Harrier

Single-seat versions for the US Marine Corps. The USMC ordered 102 AV-8As (company designation: Harrier Mk. 50). The AV-8C was an upgrade to the AV-8A. 110 built.

AV-8S Matador 

Export version of the AV-8A Harrier for the Spanish Navy, who designated them as VA-1 Matador; later sold to the Royal Thai Navy. 10 built.

Harrier T.2, T.2A, T.4, T.4A

Two-seat training versions for the RAF, with a stretched body and taller tail fin. 25 built.

Harrier T.4N, T.8, T.60

Two-seat training versions for the Royal Navy and Indian Navy with avionics based on the Sea Harrier.

TAV-8A Harrier 

Two-seat training version for the USMC, powered by a Pegasus Mk 103.

TAV-8S Matador

Two-seat training version for the Spanish Navy and later sold to the Royal Thai Navy.

Hawker Siddeley Kestrel FGA.1

General Characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 42 ft 6 in (12.95 m)
• Wingspan: 22 ft 11 in (6.99 m)
• Height: 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
• Empty weight: approximately 9,800 lb (4,445 kg)
• Loaded weight: for VTO 14,500 lb (6,580 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: for STO, approximately 17,000 lb (7,700 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Siddeley Pegasus 5 vectored-thrust turbofan, 15,000 lbf (67 kN)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 710 mph, Mach 0.92 (1,142 km/h) at sea level
• Service ceiling: (service) approximately 55,000 ft (16,750 m)
• Rate of climb: approximately 30,000 ft/min (150 m/s)
• Thrust/weight: 1.04

Variants

• P.1127 – Experimental V/STOL fighter, two prototypes and four development aircraft.
• Kestrel FGA.1 – Aircraft for the tripartite evaluation squadron, nine built, six later transferred to the United States where they were designated XV-6A.
• P.1127 (RAF) – Development V/STOL ground attack and reconnaissance fighter, six built as pre-production evaluation aircraft before the type was ordered into production as the Harrier GR.1. First aircraft flew from Dunsfold on 31 August 1966.
• XV-6A – United States military designation for the six Kestrel FGA.1 transferred to the U.S.
• VZ-12 – U.S. Army designation for two P.1127 development aircraft, not delivered. 

On Display

• P.1127 XP831 on display at The Science Museum, London, England.
• P.1127 XP980 (fitted with a Harrier GR.1 wing) is on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, England
• P.1127 XP984 (temporarily fitted with an earlier P.1127 wing) is on display at the Brooklands Museum, Surrey, England.
• Kestrel FGA.1 XS695 on display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford England.
• P.1127(RAF) XV277 on display at the National Museum of Flight, Scotland.
• P.1127(RAF) XV278 on display at the Luftwaffenmuseum, Germany.
• XV-6A Kestrel 64-18262 on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, United States.
• XV-6A Kestrel 64-18263 with NASA livery on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, Virginia, United States
• XV-6A Kestrel 64-18264 formerly held in storage by the United States Army Aviation Museum, Alabama, United States; now on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
• XV-6A Kestrel 64-18266 with NASA livery on display at Air Power Park, Hampton, Virginia, United States.

Canada

AV-8A

• 158966 – Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario

China

GR.3

• XZ965 – Beijing Aviation Museum (?????)

Germany

GR.1

• XV278 – Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr, Gatow

GR.3

• XZ998 – Flugausstellung Hermeskeil at Hermeskeil

Poland

GR.3

• XW919 – Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, Poland

New Zealand

GR.3

• XZ129 – Ashburton Aviation Museum, Ashburton, New Zealand

Thailand

AV-8S

• 3109 – Royal Thai Air Force Museum

United Kingdom

GR.1

• XV277 – National Museum of Flight, East Fortune

GR.3

• XV744 – Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Chichester, West Sussex
• XV748 – Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington
• XV751 – Gatwick Aviation Museum, Surrey
• XV752 – South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
• XV753 – Classic Air Force, St Mawgan, Newquay, Cornwall
• XV779 – RAF Wittering (Gate Guardian)
• XZ133 – Imperial War Museum, Duxford
• XZ968 – Muckleburgh Collection, Norfolk
• XZ997 – RAF Museum, Hendon^[161]
• ZD667 – Bentwaters Cold War Museum, Suffolk

Mk.52 G-VTOL

• ZA250 – Brooklands Museum, Surrey

T.2

• XW269 – Airworld Aviation Museum Caernarfon Wales

T.4

• XW934 – Farnborough Air Sciences Trust, Farnborough, Hampshire
• XW268 – City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Norfolk

AV-8A

• 159233 – Imperial War Museum North

United States

AV-8A

• 158695 – Air Park, Yuma MCAS, Yuma, Arizona
• 159239 – San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego, California
• 158963 – Craven County Regional Airport, Grantham, North Carolina
• 158976 – City of Havelock, Havelock, North Carolina
• Cockpit on display at Moffett Historical Museum, Moffett Federal Airfield, California

TAV-8A

• 159381 – Oakland Aviation Museum, Oakland, California
• 159382 – Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona

AV-8C

• 158387 – Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California
• 158710 – Quonset Air Museum, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
• 158959 – Pacific Coast Air Museum, Santa Rosa, California
• 158975 – National Naval Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola, Pensacola, Florida
• 158977 – Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington
• 159232 – Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, New York City, New York
• 159238 – Hangar 25 Museum, Webb AFB (formerly), Big Spring, Texas
• 159241 – Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona
• 159247 – Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP) Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 159249 – United States Naval Museum of Armament and Technology, NCC China Lake (North), Ridgecrest, California

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II

Sea Harrier

Discovery Wings – Harrier

The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) operations. The Harrier family is the only truly successful design of this type from the many that arose in the 1960s. There are four main versions of the Harrier family: Hawker Siddeley Harrier, British Aerospace Sea Harrier, Boeing/BAE Systems AV-8B Harrier II, and BAE Systems/Boeing Harrier II. The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is the first generation-version and is also known as the AV-8A Harrier. The Sea Harrier is a naval strike/air defence fighter. The AV-8B and BAE Harrier II are the US and British variants respectively of the second generation Harrier aircraft. Historically the Harrier was developed to operate from ad-hoc facilities such as car parks or forest clearings, avoiding the need for large air bases vulnerable to tactical nuclear weapons. Later the design was adapted for use from aircraft carriers.

Great Planes – The AV-8 Harrier

Harrier: The Vertical Reality (Documentary 1996)

Charts the development of the harrier from its creation all the way to the GR9, whilst following a squadron at RAF Wittering. Includes excellent HUD footage of low level flight in a GR7, as well as a look at the fly by wire prototype harrier.

Wings – AV-8 Harrier

AV-8 Harrier R&D and History

Harrier – 1988 Documentary

Harrier — One Pilots Perspective

Harrier Pilot Kevin Gross, Colonel (Ret) USMC, describes Harrier history and design features.