AV-8B Harrier II
An AV-8B+ Harrier II Plus on the assault ship USS Nassau
Type	STOVL strike aircraft
Manufacturer	McDonnell Douglas / British Aerospace Boeing / BAE Systems
Maiden flight	9 November 1978 (YAV-8B)
Introduction	12 January 1985 (AV-8B) June 1993 (AV-8B+)
Primary users	United States Marine Corps Spanish Navy Italian Navy
Produced	AV-8B/B+: 1981-2003[1]
Developed from	Hawker Siddeley Harrier BAE Sea Harrier
Variants	BAE Harrier II

The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a family of second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing or V/STOL jet multirole aircraft of the late 20th century. STOVL is an acronym for S hort T ake O ff and V ertical L anding An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts McDonnell Douglas was a major American Aerospace manufacturer and Defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL is a term used to describe Aircraft that are able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine A multirole (or multi-role) combat Aircraft is an aircraft that can be used as both a Fighter aircraft and a Ground attack aircraft British Aerospace rejoined the project in the early 1980s, and it has been managed by Boeing/BAE Systems since the 1990s. British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly

Developed from the earlier Hawker Siddeley Harriers, it is primarily used for light attack or multi-role tasks, typically operated from small aircraft carriers. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with Versions are used by several NATO countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and the United States. The North Atlantic Treaty The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

The aircraft is known as the AV-8B Harrier II in United States Marine Corps service and the Harrier GR7/GR9 in British service. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Though it shares the designation letter-number with the earlier AV-8A/C Harrier, the AV-8B Harrier II was extensively redesigned by McDonnell Douglas. The AV-8A was a previous-generation Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1A procured for the US Marine Corps. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Both models are commonly referred to as the "Harrier Jump Jet". WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Contents 1 Development 2 Design 3 Operational history 4 Variants 5 Operators 6 Specifications (AV-8B+ Harrier II Plus) 7 Popular culture 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

Development

The Harrier II is notable as an example of US-UK cooperation and of Cold War defense achievements. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Of note is the U. S aid funding early development of the Hawker P.1127 under the Mutual Weapons Development Program (MWDP), and the salvaging of what was left of the AV-16 Advanced Harrier Program by McDonnell Douglas, making the second-generation family possible. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

McDonnell Douglas had restarted its own program which was nearing production status when British Aerospace (BAe) rejoined the program in the 1980s. They then jointly produced the aircraft, and BAe developed second generation Harriers from the aircraft. By the 1990s McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing, and BAe was merged into BAE Systems who went on to manage the family into the early 21st century.

The AV-8B had its direct origins in a joint British-U. S. project (Hawker-Siddeley and McDonnell Douglas) for a much-improved Harrier aircraft, the AV-16. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However cost over-runs in engine development on the part of Rolls Royce and in the aircraft development caused the British to pull out of the program. For the present day company see Rolls-Royce plc. For other uses see Rolls-Royce (disambiguation.

Interest remained in the U. S. , so a less ambitious, though still expensive project was undertaken by McDonnell on their own catered to U. S. needs. Using knowledge gleaned from AV-16 development, though dropping some items such as further Pegasus development, the development work continued leading to the AV-8B for the U. S. Marine Corps. The aircraft was centered on the Marines' need for a light ground attack aircraft and focused on payload and range, instead of speed. In the early 1980s, the British restarted development of their own second generation Harrier based on the U. S. design which led eventually to the GR. 5.

The first two YAV-8B prototypes were converted from existing AV-8A airframes.

Aircraft were built by McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace (later BAE Systems), the latter at their Kingston & Dunsfold facilities in Surrey, in the UK. McDonnell Douglas was a major American Aerospace manufacturer and Defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The British factories were also home to the Hawker Hunter, and BAe Hawk T1. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Design

The first AV-8B Harrier IIs produced were commonly known as the "Day Attack" variant, and are no longer in service. Most were upgraded to Night Attack Harrier or Harrier II Plus standards, with the remainder being withdrawn from service.

Fielded in 1991, the Night Attack Harrier incorporated a Navigation Forward Looking Infrared camera (NAVFLIR). The cockpit was also upgraded, including compatibility with night vision goggles. Concurrent with the new version of the aircraft was introduced a more powerful Rolls Royce Pegasus II engine. It was originally intended to be designated AV-8D. ^[2]

The Harrier II Plus is very similar to the Night Attack variant, with the addition of an APG-65 radar in an extended nose, making it capable of operating advanced missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile The radars were removed from early F/A-18 Hornets which had been upgraded with the related APG-73. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Harrier II Plus is in service with the USMC, Spanish Navy, and Italian Navy.

The AV-8B cockpit was also used for the early trialling of DVI using a system developed by Smiths Industries. Direct Voice Input is a style of Human-Machine Interaction "HMI" in which the user makes voice commands to issue instructions to the machine. Smiths Group ( is a leading British engineering company involved in wide-ranging speciality engineering activities ^[3]

Operational history

The AV-8B Harrier II is used by the military forces of three nations. The United States Marine Corps has operated the AV-8B and TAV-8B since 1985. The Spanish Naval air wing (Arma Aerea De La Armada) operates the AV-8B and AV-8B+, as well as a leased TAV-8B. The Italian Navy air wing (Aviazione di Marina Militare) also uses the AV-8B+ and TAV-8B. Marina Militare (the Italian Navy) is one of the four branches of the military forces of Italy.

Variants

YAV-8B 

Two prototypes converted from existing AV-8A airframes.

AV-8B Harrier II 

"Day Attack" variant; no longer in service. Most were upgraded to one of the following two variants, while the remainder were withdrawn from service.

AV-8B Harrier II Night Attack 

Fielded in 1991; incorporats a Navigation Forward Looking Infrared camera (NAVFLIR). Upgraded cockpit, including compatibility with night vision goggles. More powerful Rolls Royce Pegasus 11 engine.

AV-8B Harrier II Plus 

Similar to the Night Attack variant, with the addition of an APG-65 radar. It is used by the USMC, Spanish Navy, and Italian Navy.

TAV-8B Harrier II 

Two-seat trainer version.

EAV-8B Matador II 

Company designation for the Spanish Navy.

Operators

 Italy

• Italian Navy
  • Gruppo Aerei Imbarcati "The Wolves"

 Spain

• Spanish Navy

 United States

• United States Marine Corps
  • VMA-211
  • VMA-214
  • VMA-223
  • VMA-231
  • VMA-311
  • VMA-513
  • VMA-542
  • VMAT-203

Specifications (AV-8B+ Harrier II Plus)

Data from Aerospaceweb. org^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Length: 46 ft 4 in (14. 12 m)
• Wingspan: 30 ft 4 in (9. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 25 m)
• Height: 11 ft 8 in (3. 55 m)
• Wing area: 243. 4 ft² (22. 61 m²)
• Airfoil: supercritical airfoil
• Empty weight: 14,865 lb (6,745 kg)
• Loaded weight: 22,950 lb (10,410 kg)
• Max takeoff weight:
  
  • Rolling: 31,000 lb (14,000 kg)
  • Vertical: 20,755 lb (9,415 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) vectored-thrust turbofan engine, 21,750 lbf (96. An airfoil (in American English) or aerofoil (in British English) is the shape of a Wing or blade (of a Propeller, rotor supercritical airfoil is an Airfoil designed primarily to delay the onset of Wave drag in the Transonic speed range The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off Rolls-Royce plc ( is a British Aircraft engine maker and the second-largest in the world behind GE Aviation. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Thrust vectoring is the ability of an Aircraft or other vehicle to direct the Thrust from its main Engine (s in a direction other than parallel to A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine 75 kN)

Performance

• Maximum speed: . In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such 89 Mach (675 mph, 1,085 km/h) at sea level
• Range: 1,200 nm (1,400 mi, 2,200 km)
• Ferry range: 1,800 nm (3,300 km)
• Rate of climb: 14,700 ft/min (4,485 m/min)
• Wing loading: 94. The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country For Aircraft, ferry range means the maximum range the aircraft can fly In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing 29 lb/ft² (460. 4 kg/m²)

Armament

• Guns: 1× GAU-12U "Equalizer" 25 mm cannon (left pod) and 300 rounds of ammunition (right pod) (American, Spanish, Italian configuration)
• Hardpoints: 7 with a capacity of 13,200 lb (STOVL) of stores, including iron bombs, cluster bombs, napalm canisters, laser-guided bombs, AGM-65 Maverick or AGM-84 Harpoon missiles, a LITENING targeting pod, up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder or similar-sized infrared-guided missiles. The General Electric GAU-12/U Equalizer is a five-barrel 25 mm Gatling gun -style rotary cannon The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile (AGM designed for close air support The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated The LITENING targeting pod is a precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of combat aircraft The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters Radar equipped AV-8B+ variants can carry up to four AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile An upgrade program is currently fitting airframes with wiring and software to employ 1760 bus based weapons “smart weapons” (i. e. JDAM),

Popular culture

The Harrier's unique characteristics have led to it being featured in a number of films and video games. Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force

Main article: Harrier Jump Jet#Popular culture

See also

• Harrier Jump Jet, an overview of the Harrier family
  

Related development

• BAE Harrier II
• BAE Sea Harrier
• Hawker P.1127
• Hawker Siddeley Harrier
  

Comparable aircraft

• Boeing X-32
• F-35 Lightning II
• Yakovlev Yak-38
• Yakovlev Yak-41
  

Related lists

• List of active United States military aircraft
  

References

• Norden, Lon O. Harrier II, Validating V/STOL. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2006. ISBN 1-59114-536-8.

External links

• AV-8B Plus product page on Boeing.com
• AV-8B Harrier description and AV-8B Harrier II history page on Navy.mil
• RTP-TV AeroSpace Show: Video of Harrier Hovering
• Defense Industry Daily: AV-8B Harrier finding success in Iraq (March 30, 2005)
• The Vertical Vision - a Pulitzer Prize winning article in three parts on the accident-prone Harrier published in 2002

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