AV-8B Harrier II - Definition and Overview

AV-8 Harrier II
April 7th 2003: an AV-8B Harrier takes off from on board the assault ship USS Nassau, to engage targets over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Description
Role	Attack aircraft
Crew	1
First Flight	9 November 1978
Entered Service	1984
Manufacturer	BAE Systems or McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing)
Dimensions
Length	47 ft 9 in	14.55 m
Wingspan	30 ft 4 in	9.2 m
Height	11 ft 8 in	3.6 m
Wing Area	243.4 ft²	22.61 m²
Weights
Empty	13,968 lb	6,336 kg
Loaded	22,950 lb	10,410 kg
Maximum Takeoff	31,000 lb	14,061 kg
Powerplant
Engines	One Rolls Royce F402-RR-408 Pegasus
Thrust	23,800 lbf	105.87 kN
Performance
Maximum Speed	661 mph	1,065 km/h
Combat Radius	685 miles	1,001 km
Ferry Range	2,263 miles	3,641 km
Service Ceiling	50,000 ft	15,000 m
Rate of Climb	14,715 ft/min	4,485 m/min
Wing Loading	94.3 lb/ft²	460.4 kg/m²
Thrust/Weight	1.04 lbf/lb	10.2 N/kg
Avionics
Avionics	AN/APG-65 radar, ASB-19(V) angle-rate bombing system, laser spot tracker, TV tracker, CEC-Marconi FLIR, GPS
Armament
Guns	1x 25 mm GAU-12 cannon with 300 rounds
Bombs	maximum of 13,235 lb (6,003 kg) on seven pylons, including up to 14 Mk 82 general purpose bombs or cluster bombs, or up to 10 Paveway 2 laser-guided bombs
Missiles	Maverick, Brimstone, Storm Shadow, Sidewinder, ASRAAM, AMRAAM (AV-8B+ variant only)
Rockets	CRV-7 or Matra rocket pods (maximum of ten pods)
Other	Joint Reconnaissance Pod

See also Hawker Siddeley Harrier

The Harrier II is a second generation, vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) light-attack jet aircraft used by the United States Marine Corps, Royal Air Force, Spanish Armada and Italian navy.

The aircraft is known as the AV-8B Harrier II in USMC service and the GR7/GR9 in RAF service. The AV-8A was an unmodified Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 procured for the US Marine Corps. The AV-8B is an extensively redesigned aircraft with a new composite wing, new cockpit and avionics, and more powerful engine. The new wing enables higher take-off weights and more ordnance, although despite the more powerful engine the Harrier II is about 50 mph (80 km/h) slower than its predecessor.

The primary mission of the AV-8B in USMC service is to provide responsive close air support for ground forces. This single-piloted, advanced V/STOL aircraft can operate from short fields, forward sites, roads and surface ships providing minimum response time to targets. Recent AV-8B Plus (Night Attack Harrier II) have an expanded secondary air-to-air role.

Three AV-8B squadrons stationed about 40 miles (64 km) from the Kuwaiti border, were the most forward deployed tactical strike aircraft during Operation Desert Storm and operated from relatively unprepared sites. One AV-8B squadron and one six-aircraft detachment operated off the landing helicopter ship USS Nassau in the Persian Gulf. The average turnaround time during the ground war surge was 23 minutes. A total of 86 Marine Harriers flew 3,567 sorties against Iraqi targets in Kuwait and Iraq. Five Harriers were lost, four in combat. Following the war, Marine Corps analysis showed that the placement of the engine nozzles that allow for the Harrier's Vertical Take-Off/Landing made the aircraft far more vulnerable to infrared surface-to-air missile fire than other aircraft.

In the Iraq campaign of 2003, the Harrier II saw extensive usage by both the USMC and RAF. USMC Harriers were based on two USMC amphibious assault ships, USS Bataan (LHD-5) and USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6). Each carried 24 Harriers, about four times their normal complement of fixed wing aircraft, and tried out the long dormant secondary purpose of the LHDs and LHAs, that of a small aircraft carrier, or sea control ship. RAF Harriers were shore based in Kuwait. Two detachments from RAF Cottesmore were sent to the region, with one known to have been based at the al Jaber airbase in Kuwait, and the other at an undisclosed location. A total of 23 RAF Harriers took part in the campaign.

The current AV-8B Remanufacture Program converts older AV-8B day attack aircraft to the most recent production radar/night attack configuration. This radar-equipped version of the AV-8B, called the AV-8B+, became operational in the summer of 1994. The AV-8B+ uses the same APG-65 radar system as the F/A-18 Hornet and is able to carry AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, giving the aircraft a considerable increase in anti-aircraft capabilities. However, these missiles are most likely to be deployed as a means of self-defense or airbase defense instead of air superiority, because despite its agility, the Harrier is subsonic and therefore slower than most fighters. As mentioned before, the thrust-vectoring engine nozzles leave a large infrared signature for enemy missiles to lock on to, which puts the Harrier at a huge disadvantage in close-quarters dogfights.

Variants

• AV-8A Harrier
• AV-8B Harrier II
• AV-8B+ - AV-8B with radar allowing firing of radar guided air-to-air missiles
• EAV-8B - Spanish Navy version
• Harrier GR5 - First RAF version of Harrier II
• Harrier GR7 - Avionics upgrade to GR5
• Harrier GR7A - GR7 with more powerful engine
• Harrier GR9 - Avionics upgrade to GR7
• Harrier GR9A - Both avionics upgrade and more powerful engine fitted

General Characteristics

• Primary Function: Close air support
• Contractor: Boeing Aircraft Corp.
• Cost: Remanufactured aircraft at a cost of US$21.6 million each.
• Propulsion: One Rolls-Royce F402-RR-408
• Length: 46 ft 4 in (14.1 m)
• Wingspan: 30 ft 4 in (9.2 m)
• Height: 11 ft 9 in (3.5 m)
• Weight: 12,500 lb (5,700 kg) empty; 29,750 lb (13,400 kg) max gross take-off
• Speed: 547 knots (629 mile/h, 1000 km/h)
• Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
• Armament: Detachable fuselage strakes can be replaced with pods for one GAU-12U 'Equalizer' 25 mm cannon (left pod) and 300 rounds of ammunition (right pod). Seven pylons for a maximum of 13,200 lb (STOL) of stores, including iron bombs, cluster bombs, napalm cannisters, laser-guided bombs, AGM-65 Maverick missiles, and up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder or similar-sized infrared-guided missiles. AV-8B+ variants can carry up to four AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles.
• Crew: One
• Date Deployed: January 1985

Units using the AV-8 Harrier II

USMC

• VMA-211
• VMA-214
• VMA-223
• VMA-231
• VMA-311
• VMA-513
• VMA-542

RAF

• No. 1 Squadron
• No. 3 Squadron
• No. 4 Squadron
• No. 20 Squadron
• RAF SAOEU Strike Attack Operational Evaluation Unit