Feature: The U.S. Marine Corps Harrier
May 2019 / Volume 3 / Article 41
USAH
The first-generation Harrier in the 1960's was the Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR-1/GR-3 and the AV-8A Harrier, the first operational close air 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. On 18 April 1969, the Harrier GR.1 officially entered service with the Royal Air Force when the Harrier Conversion Unit at RAF Wittering received its first aircraft. It was used by multiple air forces including the RAF, India, Spain, Thailand and the United States Marine Corps (USMC). India and Thailand called it the Matador. The USMC received 102 AV-8A and 8 TAV-8A Harriers between 1971 and 1976. The Sea Harrier is a naval strike/air defense fighter derived from the original Harrier. It was operated by the Royal Navy and the Indian Navy. The Royal Navy famously bettered the Argentinian Air Force’s fast jets in 1982 during the Falklands War using thrust vectoring from the Rolls Royce Pegasus engine. The second-generation Harrier began in 1973 when Hawker Siddeley, later absorbed into British Aerospace, and American aviation manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas, jointly developed a more capable version of the Harrier. Early efforts concentrated on the development of an improved Pegasus engine, which was being tested by Bristol Siddeley. The second-generation Harrier was manufactured in the United States as the AV-8B and in Britain as the Harrier II GR5/GR7/GR9, depending on the engine derivative. This model was operated by several NATO countries including the UK, Spain, Italy and the US. The majority of the first generation Harriers had been withdrawn in favor of the second generation as a replacement. Today, these same operators have announced their intention to replace their Harrier fleets with the STOVL variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, designated as the F-35B. United States Marine Corps Between 1978 and 1980, the United States Navy repeatedly attempted to terminate the U.S. Marine Corps Harrier program citing the limited range and payload compared with conventional aircraft, favoring F/A-18 Hornets. Finally, in 1981, the Department of Defense included the Harrier in its annual budget and five-year defense plan. The US Navy, which shares a budget with the Marines
by Jimi Simmons
The Harrier
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Ahead of it's time The Harrier is a jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations (V/STOL), and is colloquially referred to as a “jump jet”. Named after a bird of prey, it was developed by British manufacturer, Hawker Siddeley in the 1960's. The main concept was to operate without requiring large and vulnerable air bases and was later adapted for use from aircraft carriers. There were two generations and four main variants of the Harrier, developed by both United Kingdom and United States manufacturers. Those being the Hawker Siddeley Harrier and the British Aerospace Sea Harrier (SHAR), and then the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier and the British Aerospace Harrier II. The Harrier was the only truly successful V/STOL design of the era, despite being a subsonic aircraft unlike most of its competitors.
Photo by Shawn Byers
Propulsion The Pegasus Vectored Thrust Turbofan engine (11-61 UK, F408 US) from Rolls-Royce provides a high thrust-to-weight ratio and retains its performance in hot and high-altitude conditions with an ability to climb 14,000 feet per minute. This latest version can generate 23,800-foot pounds of thrust. Water injection can add a boost to this thrust by keeping the engine components cool. Thick black smoke is a good indicator that it has been activated. The source of vertical flight is through the four vectoring nozzles which can swivel greater than 90 degrees from forward flight to vertical flight diverting all thrust and controlled by a lever in the cockpit. Contributing but significant aerodynamic features of the aircraft are large Leading-Edge Root Extensions (LERX) and under-fuselage Lift-Improvement Devices which are small control jets in the nose, tail, and wings that give it control in hover and low airspeeds. Drooping ailerons and slotted flaps further augment vectored engine thrust. The main landing gear is centered on the fuselage with smaller, foldable outriggers on the ends of the wings.
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Photo by Air Museum
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declined to participate in the procurement. On December 12, 1983, the first production AV-8B was delivered to the US Marine Corps, the lone operator of the type in North America. The Marine Corps operates the AV-8B primarily for attack and multi-role tasks, typically operated from small aircraft carriers and even smaller amphibious assault ships. With its ability to conduct Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL), the AV-8B Harrier II jet provides the USMC with the mobility and firepower needed during combat missions over complicated terrain. The ability to take off and land with no airstrip provides the USMC with flexibility on the battlefield that helicopters or other jets are unable to accomplish. The British Harrier II was used by the RAF and the Royal Navy until 2011 when the aging aircraft were retired as a cost-saving measure. Britain sold 72 Harriers to the US Marine Corps to augment the total AV-8B end strength with as many as possible being converted to match the AV-8B Night Attack configuration. The remaining aircraft will be used as spare parts. During the first half of 2016, the Indian Navy retired the last of their remaining 11 Sea Harriers and as of 2018, Italy still operates Harriers. Between 1969 and 2003, 824 Harrier variants were delivered. While the manufacture of new Harriers concluded in 1997, the last remanufactured aircraft (Harrier II Plus configuration) was delivered in December 2003. It is worth noting that a Sea Harrier, privately owned by Art Nalls, flies at airshows in the eastern United States.
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Photo by Jimi Simmons
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Armament The Harrier is capable of deploying a wide range of weapon systems. The weapons include the AIM-120 Advanced Medium range air to air missile (AMRAAM), the AIM-7 Sparrow missile and air-to-surface AGM-65 Maverick missiles. The USMC Harriers can also be fitted with anti-ship Harpoon and Sea Eagle missiles and can carry the 1,000 lb. Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). It also carries an internal 25mm cannon for close air support. Future The STOVL F-35B is slowly replacing the AV-8B Harrier II in service with the US Marine Corps starting with the West Coast squadrons at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma. Three squadrons have made the transition at the time of this writing, VMFA-121, VMFA-122 and VMFA- 211. Two Harrier squadrons remain, VMA-214 and VMA-311. On the East Coast, three squadrons and a training squadron will remain operational at MCAS Cherry Point for many more years, VMA-223, VMA 231, VMA-542 and VMAT-203. The RAF converted their first squadron in 2016 (617 Squadron) and the Royal Navy is scheduled to introduce the F-35B in 2020 and have already operated borrowed RAF F-35Bs on an aircraft carrier.
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