Harrier (fighter)

Harrier jets were the first successful '''fighter''' aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, although short takeoff and vertical landing is preferred. Variants are used by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and United States Marine Corps.

Britain

As of 2000, the British military no longer differentiate between sea and land Harriers. The 1998 Strategic Defence Review which announced the creation of a "Joint Force 2000" (JF2000, with the mission "To provide a force able to deploy from land and sea, capable of precision attack of sea, land and air targets, able to undertake timely reconnaissance, and air escort of joint and allied assets."

Harrier GR

Developed by Hawker Siddeley, the original operational version, principally intended for NATO roles where it could be dispersed into forests and other concealment, and then rise to carry out close air support and battlefield air interdiction.

Sea Harrier

Sea Harriers had a decisive air superiority role in the Falklands War; a large part of their effectiveness was due to their AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, which could engage an enemy aircraft from all directions. In addition, they were operating near their carrier, while the Argentinian aircraft were near the limit of fuel endurance. They were generally more maneuverable than their enemies.

A 2010 British defence review is retiring the Sea Harrier and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (1985), to make funds available for the new aircraft carriers that will not be available until 2019.

US

• AV-8 Harrier
• AV-8 Harrier II

Successor

Both the US and UK expect all Harriers to be replaced by the F-35B Lightning II that has short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capability. This is a requirement to replace the various Harrier versions being replaced in the the Italian Navy, the U.K. Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and the United States Marine Corps. The F-35B is the world's first operational supersonic STOVL aircraft, yet will have significant stealth characteristics. Rather than an internal gun, it will have a belly-mounted 25 mm gun pod and a combat radius of more than 450 NM-, nearly two times that of legacy STOVL strike fighters. The F-35B combines a shaft-driven lift fan with a vectored main engine exhaust nozzle, a combination essential to achieving the desired performance. The fan provides an additional 14,000 pounds of lift beyond what thrust vectoring would provide by itself. Weight has been the bane of the "B" design, which took longer to achieve than that of the "A" and "C" models. Carrying weapons internally, as required by stealth, and an increased fuel load for greater range make the F-35B larger and heavier than Harriers and the comparable Russian Yak-38. The follow-on Yak-141, with dual vectored engines, was not successful.