BoeingFan7879
Hawker Siddeley (McDonnell Douglas) AV-8C Harrier
Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing aircraft, also known as "V/STOL," are considered crucial assets on the modern-day battlefield. The ability for an airplane to fly from improvised runways or small ships offers an enormous tactical advantage. Similarly, a plane that can convert vertical lifting power to high-speed horizontal flight while carrying a payload is highly desirable. The Harrier, accomplished all of this.
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier resulted from over a decade of intense research, testing, and refinement. The Harrier uses vector thrust from a single engine to take off, hover, maneuver, and fly forward at high speeds. The Rolls-Royce Pegasus turbofan engine, buried within the wide fuselage, had its thrust diverted to four ducts, two on either side, forward and aft below the wings.
These ducts rotate in unison from an angle of 0° for horizontal flight to 90° for vertical hovering flight. The ducts can be turned forward beyond vertical up to 98°, allowing the aircraft to fly backward. Small nozzles in the nose, tail, and wing tips use thrust tapped off the main engine to control the aircraft's pitch, yaw, and roll attitudes while hovering or translating between vertical and horizontal flight.
The Harrier GR Mk. 1 took its first flight on December 28th, 1967. It was first used in combat by the Royal Navy during the Falklands War in 1982 against Argentina. The U.S. Marine Corps, recognizing the Harrier's potential, purchased a total of 110 AV-8A Harriers from England in late 1970–1971.
These aircraft were updated with a radar warning receiver, a chaff-dispensing countermeasures system, and structural upgrades, thus extending the type's service life. These modified Harriers were later designated as AV-8Cs and re-entered service in May of 1979. Despite these upgrades, many U.S. Marine Corps Harrier units suffered appalling accident records during the type's first decade in service, losing 55 aircraft in peacetime mishaps alone. However, improvements in training procedures led to a drastic reduction in aircraft losses.
This AV-8C Harrier, BuNo 159232, was built in 1971, delivered as an AV-8A as part of the original Marines Corps order of 110 Harriers, and converted into an AV-8C sometime after. It mainly served with Marine Attack Squadron VMA-231 ("Ace of Spades") at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. In October 1976, it was deployed on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt for a shakedown cruise to the Mediterranean Sea. It was retired in 1987 when the AV-8Bs, introduced in 1985, replaced the C models. Today, this aircraft is on display at the USS Intrepid Museum. Here, it is painted and dedicated to Cpt. Manuel Rivera, USMC.
Hawker Siddeley (McDonnell Douglas) AV-8C Harrier
Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing aircraft, also known as "V/STOL," are considered crucial assets on the modern-day battlefield. The ability for an airplane to fly from improvised runways or small ships offers an enormous tactical advantage. Similarly, a plane that can convert vertical lifting power to high-speed horizontal flight while carrying a payload is highly desirable. The Harrier, accomplished all of this.
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier resulted from over a decade of intense research, testing, and refinement. The Harrier uses vector thrust from a single engine to take off, hover, maneuver, and fly forward at high speeds. The Rolls-Royce Pegasus turbofan engine, buried within the wide fuselage, had its thrust diverted to four ducts, two on either side, forward and aft below the wings.
These ducts rotate in unison from an angle of 0° for horizontal flight to 90° for vertical hovering flight. The ducts can be turned forward beyond vertical up to 98°, allowing the aircraft to fly backward. Small nozzles in the nose, tail, and wing tips use thrust tapped off the main engine to control the aircraft's pitch, yaw, and roll attitudes while hovering or translating between vertical and horizontal flight.
The Harrier GR Mk. 1 took its first flight on December 28th, 1967. It was first used in combat by the Royal Navy during the Falklands War in 1982 against Argentina. The U.S. Marine Corps, recognizing the Harrier's potential, purchased a total of 110 AV-8A Harriers from England in late 1970–1971.
These aircraft were updated with a radar warning receiver, a chaff-dispensing countermeasures system, and structural upgrades, thus extending the type's service life. These modified Harriers were later designated as AV-8Cs and re-entered service in May of 1979. Despite these upgrades, many U.S. Marine Corps Harrier units suffered appalling accident records during the type's first decade in service, losing 55 aircraft in peacetime mishaps alone. However, improvements in training procedures led to a drastic reduction in aircraft losses.
This AV-8C Harrier, BuNo 159232, was built in 1971, delivered as an AV-8A as part of the original Marines Corps order of 110 Harriers, and converted into an AV-8C sometime after. It mainly served with Marine Attack Squadron VMA-231 ("Ace of Spades") at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. In October 1976, it was deployed on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt for a shakedown cruise to the Mediterranean Sea. It was retired in 1987 when the AV-8Bs, introduced in 1985, replaced the C models. Today, this aircraft is on display at the USS Intrepid Museum. Here, it is painted and dedicated to Cpt. Manuel Rivera, USMC.