BAE Systems

The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 59

quick and effective response to incursions.
Most of the GR1s were fitted with the
more powerful Pegasus 10 offering
another 1,000lbs thrust, becoming GR1As.
They were modified into GR3s, with a nose
extension to accommodate a LRMTS
(Laser Ranger and Marked Target Seeker)
and a RWR (Radar Warning Receiver)
fairing on the tail. These converted aircraft
were reinforced by 40 new-build Harrier
GR3s which received the Pegasus 11 with
another 1,000lbs thrust. Happily, these
ongoing modifications kept the work
flowing at both the Kingston and
Dunsfold factories.
Six Harrier GR1As were sent to Belize to
deter the aggressive intentions of
neighbouring Guatemala in November
1975, in their first out-of-theatre
operational deployment. As they were not
granted landing rights in the USA they
were supported by Victor tankers and flew
via Goose Bay and Bermuda. They were
withdrawn in April 1976, but the threat
resurfaced in July 1977 and so Harriers
remained based in Belize until 1993.

Harriers twin-seater
With the development of the RAF GR1
there was a pressing need for a twin-
seater and with more engine power
available the Harrier T2 was devised. A
tandem cockpit within a lengthened
fuselage accommodated the trainee pilot.
The front cockpit had to match the GR1
while the rear had to give the instructor
full authority over all controls.
Deliveries of Harrier T2s began to the

Harrier Conversion Unit at Wittering in July

1970. Further trials took place in the
      meantime so that the Harrier Trainer could
      carry the full range of stores. More
      Pegasus power meant that the T2 soon
      became the T2A. Further developments
      then followed to keep pace with the RAF’s
      single-seaters, for example the T4
      becoming the trainer for the GR3.
      In 1970 HSA decided to build a
      company-owned demonstrator,
      estimating that it would more than pay for
      itself in sales. Registered G-VTOL, it flew on
      16 September 1971 and appeared in
      countless demonstrations around the
      world operating on land and from carriers.
      This great example of the type has been
      preserved at the Brooklands Museum.

Harrier – conquering tHe vertical

†

The American Marines

and the Harrier

The purchase of 12 Hawker Siddeley

Harriers for the US Marine Corps in

December 1969 was the first export order

for the Harrier and its significance cannot

be underestimated. Altogether 102

single-seater AV-8A and eight TAV-8A

twin-seaters were manufactured at HSA

plants in the UK. The USMC Harriers were

designated AV-8A (the two initial letters

standing for Attack, V/STOL).

Hawker Siddeley entered into a

co-operative production agreement with

McDonnell Douglas of St Louis, Missouri,

for the licensed manufacture of

subsequent aircraft in America. They were

virtually identical to the RAF aircraft, except

†Three Harrier

GR3s. Many Harrier

GR1s were were

modified into GR3s,

with a nose

extension to

accommodate a

LRMTS (Laser

Ranger and Marked

Target Seeker) and a

RWR (Radar

Warning Receiver)

fairing on the tail.

(Hawker Archive)

Following the order for the Harrier by the RAF, six Development
Batch Harriers XV276 - XV281 flew in 1966-67. The six aircraft, some
unpainted, are shown at Dunsfold at a Press Day for the RAF Harrier
with XV280 at the front. (Hawker Archive)