The AV-8B Harrier II is a Vertical, Short Takeoff and Landing (VSTOL) fighter and attack aircraft, which was built by McDonnell Douglas Aircraft and British Aerospace. This carrier-borne aircraft can take off vertically and hover. Known in the UK as the Harrier GR5, the AV-8B differs from the AV-8 original version by having a larger, more efficient wing shape, larger trailing-edge flaps and ventral air brake, strakes under the gun/ammunition pods, redesigned engine intakes and nozzles, sturdier landing gear, a ventral air dam, and a more powerful engine, thus, providing twice the payload of the AV-8A. It is in service with the US Marine Corps and Royal Navy since 1981. It first saw combat action in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, taking off from the USS Nassau and Tarawa amphibious assault ships.
The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II made its maiden flight on November 9, 1978. After almost three years of flight tests, it was finally accepted for service on November 5, 1981. When Operation Desert Storm began, 86 AV-8Bs (60 operating from airstrips in Saudi Arabia and 26 flying from amphibious assault ships Tarawa (LHA 1) and Nassau (LHA 4) in the Persian Gulf), flew 3,567 sorties to strike Iraqi targets in Kuwait and Iraq. Almost 3,000 tons of ordnance were delivered by the aircraft. The Harriers used their ARBS to detect targets, dropping laser-guided bombs and launching laser-guided AGM-65 Mavericks. In one attack, four AV-8Bs were credited with the destruction of 25 Iraqi tanks. On almost every sortie, its 25-mm cannon was used against a variety of vehicles (armored and "soft") and was said to have been very effective. Five AV-8Bs were lost during that armed conflict. This vertical take-off aircraft would eventually be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II.
Technical Description
The AV-8B Harrier II is a single-seat, single-engine monoplane of all-metal construction. It is fitted with low-aspect-ratio swept wing, which is shoulder-mounted, with anhedral (downward) angle. The wing has supercritical airfoil sections and leading-edge root extensions (LERX) that increase instantaneous turn rate. In later aircraft, the LERX is enlarged for better handling and survivability. Single-slotted trailing edge flaps are located inboard of the landing-gear pods. Drooping ailerons are located outboard. The tail unit features a swept, pointed fin and rudder with a ventral fin below the fuselage. The aircraft is also fitted with a Stability Augmentation and Attitude Hold System (SAAHS) and a short tailboom.
Specifications
Type: vertical take-off and short-landing, carrier-based fighter/attack aircraft
Length: 14.12 m (46 feet, 4 inches)
Wing Span: 9.25 m (30 feet, 4 inches)
Wing Area: 22.18 m2 (239 square feet)
Height: 3.55 m (11 feet, 8 inches)
Power Plant: one Rolls-Royce F-402-RR-408 (Pegasus 11-61) turbofan engine, generating 23,820 pounds of thrust.
Maximum Speed: 1065 km/h (662 mph)
Combat Radius: 1,100 km (684 miles)
Service Ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 feet)
Crew: 1
Armament: one 25-mm GAU-12/A, 5-barrel cannon; two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles; provision for up to 6,000 kg (13,228-lb) of bombs.
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| Above, the Harrier during take-off. |
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| The Harrier II during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. |
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| A Harrier in action over Iraq. It is armed with bombs and air-to-air missiles |
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| Above, the GR5 was the British equivalent of the AV-8B. |
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| Drawings of the Harrier II in the British GR5 version |