Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier
- Period: 1970-1979
- Uses: Fighter-Bomber
- First Flight: August 31, 1966
- Display Status: On the Museum Floor.
The British Harrier ground attack fighter is one of the most innovative aircraft ever designed and the first vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing aircraft to go into service. A key element of its success is the Rolls-Royce Pegasus vectored-thrust turbofan engine.
The first P.1127 proof of concept prototype hovered briefly in October 1960. Later trials showed its exceptional capabilities. The Royal Air Force (RAF) ordered its first production Harriers in 1966 and deliveries to a combat squadron began in 1969. The United States Marine Corps, with its need for close air support in areas often without airfields, has been an enthusiastic user since 1971.
Museum Example
- Registration #: 158966
- Manufacturer: Hawker Siddeley Aviation, Great Britain
- Manufacture Date: 1973
- Construction #: 712127/49
- Aquisition Date: 1997
- Provenance: Loan from the U.S. Marine Corps
The Museum’s AV-8A, broadly equivalent to the RAFs Harrier GR 3, entered Marine Corps service in 1973. Over the years, it served three attack squadrons VMA-231, 513 and 542, in Okinawa, Japan and the United States. VMA-231’s insignia, the Ace of Spades, is visible below the cockpit.
As a result of an initiative by British Aerospace, the cooperation of the U.S. government and the financial assistance of Rolls-Royce, the aircraft has been placed on long-term loan to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum from the Naval Inventory Control Point in Philadelphia.
Specifications
- Wing Span:
- 7.7 m (25 ft 3 in)
- Length:
- 13.9 m (45 ft 6.6 in)
- Height:
- 3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)
- Weight, Empty:
- 5,533 kg (12,200 lb)
- Weight, Gross:
- 11,429 kg (25,200 lb)
- Cruising Speed:
- Unknown
- Max Speed:
- 1,190 km/h (740 mph)
- Rate of Climb:
- 6,860 m (22,500 ft) /min
- Service Ceiling:
- 15,600 m (51,200 ft)
- Range:
- 3,760 km (2,340 mi)
- Power Plant:
- One 9,750 kg (21,500 lb) static thrust Rolls-Royce F402-RR-401(Pegasus 103) vectored-thrust turbofan engine
