The British Aerospace Harrier was the world's first operational VTOL fixed-wing aircraft, & is still the best to this day. The design process was extremely experimental, as a VTOL jet had never been produced before, & so the Harrier went through several prototype stages before operational aircraft were produced. The project started with the 'Flying Bedstead', which was literally that; a flying bedstead. The 'Flying Bedstead' was an experimental gas turbine mounted on a frame. The gas turbine had downward-pointing jet exhausts, which allowed the test-rig to take-off vertically. The pilot of the rig sat on top of the engine, in a primitive cockpit which had very few controls. The 'Flying Bedstead' first flew on the 2nd of August 1954. The entire programme was a success, & the better than one thrust/weight ratio of the gas turbine was proven as an effective power source for a possible future VTOL aircraft. 

The next stage in the Harrier's development was the Hawker P.1127. The P.1127 was the first aircraft in the world to include vectored thrust, the technology which made the Harrier possible. The P.1127 made its first tethered hover on the 21st of October, 1960. The Bristol BS.53 powered P.1127 was then developed into the Kestrel, a joint project between the UK, US & West Germany. Nine Kestrels were produced, & were intended to eventually be produced as operational aircraft for the three countries involved in the project. Three Kestrels were flown by each country, although several crashed. The Kestrel Squadron was disbanded on the 30th of November, 1965. Many of the Kestrels were sent to the US, where they served as VTOL research aircraft under the designation XV-6A. The Kestrel demonstrated the validity of the VTOL jet, & soon the Harrier GR.1 entered service with the RAF. The GR.1 was a totally different aircraft to the Kestrel, despite the two aircraft looking the same. The GR.1 entered service in January 1969. 

The GR.1 was then updated to GR.3 standard, with a laser seeker in the nose & an uprated Rolls-Royce Pegasus 103 engine. The GR.3 also included IFR equipment & a HUD. The GR.3 was operated by one squadron in the UK & 3 in Germany, the Harrier forming a vital part of NATO's forces in Germany. The GR.3 was fitted for the CAS & reconnaissance roles, & served for 20 years, the last units operating GR.3s being a flight in Belize & an OCU in the UK. The GR.3s were replaced by the GR.5, which incorporated revised wing control surfaces & composite material construction. 

The current version of the Harrier is the GR.Mk 7, a collaboration between British Aerospace & McDonnell Douglas. The GR.7 is capable of carrying a much wider variety of weapons than previous versions of the Harrier, & is fitted with FLIR, a wide-angle HUD, the Hughes AN/ASB-19(U) ARBS (Angle Rate Bombing System), the Marconi ARI.23333 Zeus threat identification & jamming system, GEC Nightbird NVGs, GPS navigation systems & the GEC-Ferranti FIN.1075 INS.

  The GR.7 is equipped for both day & night missions, & is perfectly suited to its CAS role. Its advanced weapons targeting systems, amazing manoeuvreability & multi-role capability are just part of the equation, the Harrier having the amazing advantage over other CAS aircraft in being able to take off & land vertically. This vertical capability means that the Harrier can be based just behind the front line: in a wood, or even in a shopping centre. The proximity of the Harrier to the troops it is supporting is vital; another CAS aircraft would be miles away from the troops at a vulnerable airfield. The long response time of these aircraft (compared with the Harrier) means that the ground troops have to wait for support; & the ground troops may not have that much time. The Harrier, however, can perform a short or vertical take-off from its deployment site, & be with the ground troops in a matter of seconds.

  Different versions of the Harrier are also operated by the US Marine Corps & Spanish Navy (AV-8A/C, AV-8B & Harrier II Plus). Several Harrier GR.3s were sent to the Falklands with Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers, & operated from the Royal Navy's two carriers, HMS Invincible & HMS Hermes.  

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Type: V/STOL Close Air Support aircraft

Powerplant: One 9,866kg (21,750lbs) Rolls-Royce Mk105 Pegasus vectored-thrust turbofan

Performance: Max. speed at sea level 1065km/h (661mph); service ceiling over 15,240m (50,000ft); combat radius with weapon load 277km (172 miles)

Weights: Empty 7,050kg (15,542lbs); max. take-off weight 14,061kg (31,000lbs)

Dimensions: Wingspan 9.25m (30ft 4in); length 14.36m (47ft 1.5in); height 3.55m (11ft 7.75in); wing area 21.37m² (230ft²)

Armament: Two 25mm Aden Cannon with 100rpg, six external hardpoints with provision for up to 4,082kg (9,000lbs) (short take-off) or 3175kg (7,000lbs) (vertical take-off) of stores, including AAMs (such as AIM-9 Sidewinders & AMRAAM), ASMs (Sea Eagle & Sea Skua), LGBs, freefall bombs, CBUs, sub-munitions dispensers (such as JP.233), napalm tanks & rockets (such as SNEB or CRV-7)

Electronics: Many different ECM & ESM (usually Phimat) pods, GEC Nightbird NVGs, FLIR, Hughes AN/ASB-19(U) ARBS (Angle-Rate Bombing System), Marconi ARI.23333 Zeus threat-identification & jamming system, GPS, GEC-Ferranti FIN-1075 INS

Operators: UK (RAF), USA (USMC as AV-8B & Harrier II Plus), Spain (as AV-8A/C Matador)

History: Initiation of project 1967; first flight 14/8/1974; service delivery (to trials unit) 1981; squadron service in UK & Germany 1982, took part in Gulf War 1991

Sub-Types: Harrier GR.Mk1, Harrier GR.Mk3, Harrier GR.Mk5, Harrier GR.Mk7, Harrier AV-8A/C (Matador), Harrier II Plus, Sea Harrier (see Sea Harrier)

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