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In the mid 1960s, the Harrier GR.1 and GR.3 variants were ordered by the British government for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Harrier GR.1 made its first flight on 28 December 1967, and entered RAF service in April 1969. During the 1970s, the United States opted to procure the aircraft as the AV-8A; it was operated by the US Marine Corps (USMC).
Registered G-VTOL [22] Harrier T.60 Export version of the T.4N two-seat training version for the Indian Navy. [23] TAV-8A Harrier Two-seater training version for the USMC, powered by a Pegasus Mk 103. Company designation Harrier Mk 54. Eight built. [24] TAV-8S Matador Export version of the TAV-8A Harrier for the Spanish Navy.
RAF Harrier GR9 in flight, 2010. The Harrier II is an extensively modified version of the first generation Harrier GR1/GR3 series. The original aluminium alloy fuselage was replaced with one made extensively of composites, providing significant weight reduction and increased payload or range.
In 2006 the Harrier was retired from service. [6] Harrier GR.3 of 1453 Flight at Stanley Airport in 1984 United Kingdom Royal Air Force No. 1 Squadron RAF re-equipped with Harrier GR.1s between July and October 1969 at RAF Wittering. It started to replace its first generation Harriers with Harrier GR.5s in 1988, discarding its last GR.3 on 31 ...
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier 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.
Harrier GR1 XV794 Crashed after bird strike near Hutten, West Germany; Air Commodore Peter Taylor ejected safely. [8] [22] 20 June 1972 No. 3 Squadron RAF: Harrier GR3 XW920 Engine flame out over Sardinia due to fuel supply failure, Flight Lieutenant James Downey ejected safely. [18] [23] 27 June 1972 No. 4 Squadron RAF: Harrier GR1 XV780
20 Squadron reformed in Germany on 1 December 1970 as the second Harrier GR1 squadron based at RAF Wildenrath. [34] It was declared to NATO in an offensive support role and re-equipped with the Harrier GR3 in 1975. [35] [36] This update introduced laser ranging and target marking equipment in the nose of the aircraft and a Radar Warning Receiver.
The Typhoon, as well as the F/A-18E, Rafale M and an advanced variant of the Harrier were rejected by the United Kingdom on "cost effectiveness grounds", selecting the Short Take Off & Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter in 2002 as the primary option for Fleet Air Arm usage.