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The Hawker-Siddeley Harrier and the AV-8A are the first generation of the Harrier series, a revolutionary close-support and reconnaissance Fighter Aircraft with unique V/STOL capabilities. The family is part of a large family of experimental versions and service aircraft, including the much modernized Harrier II . The Harrier continues to serve today as the Harrier GR.Mk 7 And GR.Mk 9 and AV-8B which are built by BAE Systems and Boeing . The current operational British Harriers (GR.Mk 7 and GR.Mk 9) are license-built versions of the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) version, respectively the AV-8B Harrier II and AV-8B+ Harrier II Plus. VARIANTS Hawker P.1127 See Also: Hawker P.1127 The Harrier family was started with the Hawker P.1127. Design began in 1957 by Sir Sidney Camm , Ralph Hooper of Hawker Aviation and Stanley Hooker of the Bristol Engine Company . Rather than using rotors or a direct jet thrust the P.1127 had an innovative ''vectored Thrust'' Turbofan Engine and the first vertical take-off was on October 21 , 1960 . Six prototypes were built in total, one of which was lost at an air display. Hawker Siddeley Kestrel The P.1127 was renamed Kestrel after Hawker Siddeley Aviation was created. The Kestrel was an evaluation aircraft, and nine were produced, the first flying on March 7 , 1964 . The Kestrel had fully swept wings and a larger tail than the P.1127, and the fuselage was modified to take the larger 15,000 lbf (85 kN) Pegasus engine. Due to interest from the US and Germany the Tri-partite Evaluation Squadron was formed, staffed by military test pilots from Britain , the US and West Germany . After testing at RAF West Raynham , the eight surviving evaluation aircraft were transferred to the USA for evaluation by the Army, Air Force and Navy (including USMC ) as the XV-6A . After Tri-Service evaluation they were passed to the USAF for further evaluation at Edwards AFB . An order for 60 aircraft was received from the RAF in 1966, and the first pre-production Harriers were flying by mid-1967. Harrier GR.1 The Harrier GR Mk.1 was the first production model taken from the Kestrel, it first flew on December 28 , 1967 , and entered service with the RAF on April 1 , 1969 . Construction took place at factories in Kingston-upon-Thames in southwest London and at Dunsfold, Surrey. The latter adjoined an airfield used for flight testing; both factories have since closed. The ski-jump technique for STOL use by Harriers launched from Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier s was tested at the Royal Navy's airfield at Yeovilton, Somerset . Their flight decks were designed with an upward curve to the bow following the successful conclusion of those tests. The air combat technique of Vectoring In Forward Flight , or viffing, was evolved in the Harrier to outmaneuver a hostile aircraft or other inbound weapon. Harrier GR.1A The GR.Mk 1A was an upgraded version of the GR.Mk 1, the main difference being the uprated Pegasus Mk 102. 58 GR.Mk 1As entered RAF service, 17 GR.Mk 1As were produced and a further 41 GR.Mk 1s were upgraded. Harrier GR.Mk 3 The Harrier GR.3 featured improved sensors, countermeasures and a further uprated Pegasus Mk 103 and was to be the ultimate development of the 1st generation Harrier. This model saw extended service in the Falklands War . ''(See Service History bellow)'' The RAF ordered 118 of the GR Mk.1 to 3 series Harrier. The AV-8A for the USMC and the Spanish airforce was very similar and 113 craft were ordered.
The later model Harriers are easily distinguished by their extended wingspan, the wings extending beyond the outrigger wheels that are at the wingtips of the earlier versions (including Kestrel prototypes and the Sea Harrier). CONTROLS AND HANDLING While the Harrier is one of the most flexible aircraft ever made, the necessary understanding and skill to pilot it are considerable. In addition to being able to fly the Harrier in forward flight (above stall speed when it behaves in the manner of a typical fixed-wing aircraft), it is necessary to maintain control during VTOL and STOL manouvres when the lift and control surfaces don't work. This requires skills and understanding more associated with helicopters. Most services demand great aptitude and extensive training, with experience of piloting both types of aircraft. Many recruit trainee pilots from the most experienced and skilled helicopter pilots in their organisations. The Harrier has two control elements that a fixed wing aircraft does not normally have. These are the thrust vector and reaction control. The thrust vector is the angle of the four engine nozzles and can be set between zero degrees (horizontal, pointing straight back) and 98 degrees (pointing slightly forwards). The 90 degree position is generally used for VTOL manouvring. Thrust vector is adjusted by a control similar to and beside the thrust lever. The reaction control is achieved by manipulating the control stick and is similar in action to the cyclic control of a helicopter. While irrelevant during forward flight mode, these controls are critical during VTOL and STOL, and are used together during these manouvres. Wind direction and the orientation of the aircraft to this is also critically-important during VTOL manouvres (in this sense operation is limited compared with a helicopter, which can take off and land in side winds). The Harrier's landing gear configuration also complicates normal landing; it is necessary to ensure that the wing-mounted stabiliser struts contact the runway simultaneously; bounce or skew to one side can result if this is not achieved. The procedure for VTOL involves parking the aircraft facing into the wind. The aircraft is brought to a halt, throttle to idle, wheels locked. The thrust vector is set to 90 degrees and the throttle brought up to maximum. The aircraft leaves the ground rapidly. The throttle is trimmed until a hover state is achieved at the desired altitude. During the ascent and hover, the reaction control system is continuously adjusted to maintain position over the patch of ground, much as it is with a helicopter. The aircraft has to face into the wind when taking off in this way. A side wind causes the aircraft to pitch away from the lee side. This would alter the thrust vector away from vertical and cause the aicraft to slew sideways. This is hard to control and dangerous. In severe cases the aircraft can Settle With Power while moving to the side. While taking off in windy conditions is always more difficult when within ground effect, it is easier to maintain heading away from the ground effect as the tailplane tends to stabilise the heading into the wind. At hover, the thrust vector is slowly returned to horizontal while the altitude and Angle Of Attack is maintained in a specified range. At or shortly after normal take off speed, the thrust vector is set to horizontal and thrust is usually trimmed back to control acceleration. The STOL procedure involves proceeding with normal take off and then applying a thrust vector (less than 90 degrees) at a runway speed below normal take off speed. For lower take off speeds, the thrust vector applied is greater. The vector and thrust is then then trimmed until take off speed. Several procedures have been described for different runway lengths. In forward flight, the harrier is at an advantage compared with fixed wing aircraft in that in the event of stalling, recovery is possible by quickly adjusting the thrust vector and throttle. For STOL and VTOL landing, it is necessary to drop below the normal stall speed and apply this method (against all the instincts of the trained fixed wing pilot). The thrust vector control allows for the engine knozzles to be adjusted to a maximum stop of 98 degrees. This facilitates backward motion as needed but is not normally applied during VTOL as the heading into the wind tends to require some forward thrust via attitude control to maintain a fixed hovering position. SERVICE HISTORY The Sea Harrier, which is based on the GR3, was important in the British victory in the Falklands War . Twenty Sea Harriers were operated from the carriers HMS ''Hermes'' and ''Invincible'' mainly for fleet air defence. Although they destroyed 23 Argentine aircraft in air combat (in part due to using the American-supplied latest variant of the Sidewinder Missile and the Argentine aircraft operating at extreme range) they couldn't establish complete air superiority and prevent Argentine attacks during day or night nor stop the daily flights of C-130 Hercules transports to the islands. Three Sea Harriers were lost to ground fire and another three due operational accidents, none to enemy aircraft. The Harrier GR.3, operated by the RAF, also saw combat during the Falklands War. They operated from ''Hermes'' and provided close support to the ground forces and attacked Argentine positions but were unable to destroy the Port Stanley runway. If the Sea Harriers had been lost they would have replaced them. The RAF Harriers would not see further combat, the Hawker Siddeley airframes would be replaced by the larger Harrier II developed by McDonnell Douglas. The Sea Harrier, modified to FRS2, saw combat during the Bosnia conflict, with one aircraft being shot down by Serbia n defences in 1994. During the Kosovo War , combat patrols were flown, but no weapons were fired. The Sea Harrier patrolled over Iraq during the 12 years of enforcing no-fly zones. The Sea Harrier and Harrier GR.7 forces were merged to formed Joint Force Harrier in 2000. With the retirement of the Sea Harrier by 2006 the RAF and RN will share the GR.9 fleet until the introduction of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. RAF service Squadrons Locations FILMS AND VIDEO GAMES A two-seat version of the Harrier was seen in the James Bond movie '' The Living Daylights ''. An AV-8B was featured in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie '' True Lies ''. In the video game , a Harrier was under terrorist control. The player gets an opportunity to shoot it down. A . In , the Allies have the ability to construct Harriers once an Airforce Command HQ has been built. In the anime Burn Up Excess , Ruby, one of the main antagonists, pilots a Harrier in several episodes as her primary means of long-distance transport. As part of its Pepsi Stuff marketing campaign, Pepsi ran an add promising a Harrier jet to anyone who collected 7,000,000 Pepsi Points. This ploy backfired when a group of investors actually collected and sent in the requisite points. A lawsuit ensued, where it was ruled that any reasonable person would conclude that the ad was a joke. OPERATORS
SPECIFICATIONS (HARRIER GR.1)
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