The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 63happen. In August 1981 a Memorandum of
Understanding was signed by the US and
UK Governments whereby British
Aerospace became a sub-contractor to
McDonnell Douglas building 40% of the
aircraft while Rolls-Royce produced 75% of
the engine with Pratt & Whitney building
25%. McDonnell Douglas and British
Aerospace signed a joint manufacturing
agreement to build 390 Harrier 2s, 328
AV-8Bs for the USMC and 62 Harrier GR5s
for the RAF.
The USMC’s first AV-8B entered service
in August 1985.The first UK GR5Development aircraft ZD318 flew at
Dunsfold on 30 April 1985. The initial UK
order was boosted in April 1988 with a
follow-on order for 34 Harrier 2s,
designated as Harrier GR7s and fitted with
night-attack avionics and an electronic
countermeasures system. The GR5s were
subsequently brought up to GR7 standard.
The RAF aircraft were similar to the AV-8B
but had numerous differences including
eight rather than six pylons to allow for the
carriage of Sidewinder missiles, twin Aden
cannon, a Martin-Baker ejection seat and
different avionics. The T10 trainer had a full
operational capacity.
UK Harrier production ended with the
GR9 and its trainer, the T12 which were
upgrades of the GR7 and T10. These had a
new rear fuselage, an upgraded Pegasus
107 offering 24,750lbs thrust (almost
3,000lbs more than GR7) and 100% LERX
(Leading Edge Root Extension) in contrast
to the 65% extension on the GR7. These
improvements had a marked effect on the
aircraft’s performance as did the further
refinements to its avionics and weapons
capabilities. The first conversion, ZD230
flew from Warton on 30 May 2003.Spanish and Italian
Navy Harrier
The Spanish Navy’s twelve EAV-8B
Matadors first deliveries were in October
1987 and operated from Ski-jump-
equipped Spanish Navy carrier Príncipe de
Asturias. During 1993 the Spanish aircraft
were in action in ‘Operation Deny Flight’
over Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2003 its
EAV-8Bs were modified by Boeing (which
took over McDonnell Douglas in 1997) to
become EAV-8B Plus Matadors.
The Italian Navy considered both the
Sea Harrier and the AV-8B for their use and
in 1989 chose the Harrier 2, placing an
order for 16 AV-8Bs and two TAV-8Bs. The
first three AV-8Bs and the two TAV-8Bs were
assembled in the USA and the remainder
were assembled in Italy. The Italian Harriers
saw action from the aircraft carrier Garibaldi
in the attack on Afghanistan in 2001-2 and
were also deployed supporting the military
intervention in Libya in 2011.Harrier – conquering tHe vertical
A RAF Harrier GR5 at Dunsfold. Note its eight underwing pylons and under-fuselage strakes which could be
replaced by 30mm cannon. (Hawker Archive)
A Spanish Navy AV-8B landing on the Spanish Navy’s aircraft carrier Príncipe de Asturias.
(Hawker Archive)Sea Harrier FRS2 ZH809 and a T8.
Delivered in 1998, the bright blue ZH809
was withdrawn from service in 2006
having flown just 1,073 hours. The
aircraft had a special paint scheme
applied for the 2004 display season.
(Hawker Archive)