Jump to content

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
No edit summary
m moved McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II to Boeing AV-8B Harrier II: Reflecting merger--MD no longer exists.
(No difference)

Revision as of 17:47, 2 March 2011

AV-8B Harrier II
An AV-8B+ Harrier II Plus on the assault ship USS Nassau
Role V/STOL ground-attack aircraft
Manufacturer McDonnell Douglas / British Aerospace
Boeing / BAE Systems
First flight YAV-8B: 9 November 1978[1]
Introduction August 1985[2]
Status Active
Primary users United States Marine Corps
Spanish Navy
Italian Navy
Produced AV-8B/B+: 1981–2003[3]
Developed from Hawker Siddeley Harrier
BAE Sea Harrier
Variants British Aerospace Harrier II

The Boeing AV-8B Harrier II is a family of second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing or V/STOL ground-attack aircraft of the late 20th century. An American-British development of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier and Sea Harrier, it is primarily used for light attack or multi-role tasks, and is typically operated from small aircraft carriers, large amphibious assault ships and austere forward operating bases.

Although the AV-8B Harrier II shares the designation with the earlier AV-8A/C Harrier, the AV-8B was extensively redesigned from the previous-generation Harrier GR.1A/AV-8A/C by McDonnell Douglas. British Aerospace joined the improved Harrier project in the early 1980s, and it has been managed by Boeing/BAE Systems since the 1990s.

The AV-8B is used by the United States Marine Corps. The British Harrier GR7/GR9 versions were used by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. Versions are also used by NATO countries: Spain and Italy. The Harrier family models are referred to commonly as the "Harrier Jump Jet".

Development

Advanced Harrier

Bristol tested an improved version of Pegasus engine, named Pegasus 15 during the early 1970s. The engine was more powerful and had a larger diameter. The larger diameter meant it could not readily fit in the Harrier. During this time a joint US/UK team completed a document defining an Advanced Harrier with the Pegasus 15 engine in December 1973. The Advanced Harrier was intended to replace original UK and US Harriers and US A-4s. It would also be operated by the Royal Navy from command ships. The Advanced Harrier was unofficially named "AV-16" with the purpose to double the AV-8's payload/range capability. The UK pulled out of the project in early 1975 due to decreased defense funding. The US was unwilling to fund development by itself and ended the project later that year.[4]

Harrier II

Interest remained in the US, so a less ambitious, though still expensive project was undertaken by McDonnell Douglas on their own catered to U.S. needs. Using knowledge gleaned from AV-16 development, though dropping some items such as a larger Pegasus engine, the development work continued on an improved Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps.[5] The aircraft was centered on the Marines' need for a light ground attack aircraft with increased payload and range. The plan for Harrier II development was authorized by the Defense Department in 1976. To test the new design, two AV-8As were modified with the new composite wing, lift improvement devices, modified intakes, redesigned exhaust nozzles, and other Harrier II aspects in 1975. These modified AV-8s received the YAV-8B designation and were flight tested from 1978 until 1979.[6]

A YAV-8B Harrier II tests a ski jump at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

Positive results of the YAV-8B testing led to the award of a development contract in 1979.[7]

In the early 1980s, the British rejoined the program. The UK Harrier II version is based on the AV-8B but uses different avionics, and one additional missile pylon on each wing.[8]

McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace (BAe) jointly produced the aircraft. Aircraft production occurred at McDonnell Douglas' facilities in St Louis, Missouri. Manufacturing by British Aerospace (later BAE Systems), at their Kingston and Dunsfold facilities in Surrey, in the UK. By the 1990s McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing, and BAe was merged into BAE Systems who went on to manage the family into the early 21st century.

Between 1969 and 2003, 824 Harrier variants were delivered. While manufacture of new Harriers concluded in 1997, the last remanufactured aircraft (Harrier II Plus configuration) was delivered in December 2003 which ended the Harrier production line.[9]

Design

An AV-8B from VMA-231 at Oshkosh 2003.
File:RR-408 Pegasus.jpg
Drawing of the Rolls-Royce Pegasus with cutaway view

The AV-8B Harrier II is a subsonic attack aircraft.[10] It features a single Rolls-Royce Pegasus turbofan engine whose two intakes and four synchronized vectorable nozzles (two cold forward, two hot aft) are located very close to the turbine, where most fixed-wing aircraft have their engine nozzles at the back. The Harrier II also has smaller valved control nozzles in nose, tail and wingtips to provide control in low airspeed.[11] It has two landing gear on the fuselage and two outrigger landing gear on the wings. The AV-8B is equipped with six wing and three fuselage hardpoints for carrying a 25 mm GAU-12 cannon, other weapons and external fuel tanks.[12]

The first AV-8B Harrier IIs produced were commonly known as the "Day Attack" variant, and are no longer in service. Most were upgraded to Night Attack Harrier or Harrier II Plus standards, with the remainder being withdrawn from service.

The AV-8B cockpit was also used for the early trialling of Direct Voice Input (DVI) using a system developed by Smiths Aerospace.[13] The main attack avionics system is the Hughes nose-mounted AN/ASB-19.[14]

Fielded in 1991, the Night Attack Harrier incorporated a Navigation Forward Looking Infrared camera (NAVFLIR). The cockpit was also upgraded, including compatibility with night vision goggles. Concurrent with the new version of the aircraft was introduced a more powerful Rolls Royce Pegasus II engine. It was originally intended to be designated AV-8D.[15]

The Harrier II Plus is very similar to the Night Attack variant, with the addition of an APG-65 radar in an extended nose, making it capable of operating advanced beyond-visual-range missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM.[16] The radars were removed from early F/A-18 Hornets, which had been upgraded with the related APG-73. The Harrier II Plus is in service with the USMC, Spanish Navy, and Italian Navy.

Operational history

The AV-8B Harrier II is used by the military forces of three nations. The United States Marine Corps has operated the AV-8B and TAV-8B since 1985. The Spanish Naval air wing (Arma Aérea De La Armada) operates the AV-8B and AV-8B+, as well as a leased TAV-8B. The Italian Navy air wing (Aviazione di Marina Militare) also uses the AV-8B+ and TAV-8B. See BAE Harrier II for British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy usage.

The Harrier has had an accident rate that was three times that of the Marine Corps' other airplane, the F/A-18 Hornet. The AV-8 was dubbed a widow maker by some in the military.[17][18] The Harrier's high accident rate is largely due to the higher percentage of time it spends taking off and landing, which are the most critical times in flight.[19]

During the Gulf War, 5 AV-8Bs were lost in combat and two Marine pilots were killed. The AV-8B had an attrition rate of 1.5 aircraft for every 1000 sorties flown[18].

Variants

A US Marine Corps TAV-8B Harrier II.
An AV-8B Harrier II Plus from the Spanish aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias (R11) prepares to land.
An Italian TAV-8B Harrier II aboard Giuseppe Garibaldi (551).
YAV-8B
Two prototypes converted in 1978 from existing AV-8A airframes (BuNo 158394, 158395).
AV-8B Harrier II
"Day Attack" variant; no longer in service. Most were upgraded to one of the following two variants, while the remainder were withdrawn from service. 4 full scale development (FSD) aircraft were built in 1982, followed by 162 production aircraft, built 1983-1989.
AV-8B Harrier II Night Attack
Fielded in 1991; incorporates a Navigation Forward Looking Infrared camera (NAVFLIR). Upgraded cockpit, including compatibility with night vision goggles. More powerful Rolls Royce Pegasus 11 engine. 1 prototype converted from AV-8B (BuNo 163853), 72 new aircraft were produced 1989 to 1993. This variant was originally designated AV-8D.
AV-8B Harrier II Plus
Similar to the Night Attack variant, with the addition of an APG-65 radar. It is used by the USMC, Spanish Navy, and Italian Navy. 72 were converted from existing AV-8B (receiving new BuNos), 43 were new built from 1993 to 1997.
TAV-8B Harrier II
Two-seat trainer version. 23 were built between 1986 and 1992.
TAV-8B Harrier II+
Two two-seat trainer aircraft built for Italy 1990 to 1991.
EAV-8B Matador II
Company designation for the Spanish Navy version. 12 were built 1987 to 1988.
EAV-8B Matador II+
AV-8B Harrier II+ for Spanish Navy, 11 were converted from EAV-8B, 8 were new built 1995 to 1997.

See BAE Harrier II for the UK military version.

Operators

 Italy
  • Italian Navy had 14 AV-8B+ and 2 TAV-8B Harrier IIs in service as of December 2010.[20]
    • Gruppo Aerei Imbarcati "The Wolves"
 Spain
  • Spanish Navy had 16 EAV-8B+ and 1 TAV-8B aircraft in use as of December 2010.[20]
    • 09th Squadron
A Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II demonstrating its hover capabilities.
 United States


Specifications (AV-8B+ Harrier II Plus)

Orthographic projection of the AV-8B Harrier II.
Orthographic projection of the AV-8B Harrier II.
AV-8 Harrier II being refueled by a KC-10 Extender.
External image
Armament and vectored nozzles
image icon Underside of AV-8 Harrier II

Data from Norden,[21] Aerospaceweb[22]

General characteristics

Performance Armament

Avionics

Notable appearances in media

Main article: Harrier Jump Jet in fiction

The Harrier's unique characteristics have led to it being featured in a number of films and video games.

As part of its 1996 Pepsi Stuff marketing campaign, Pepsi ran an ad promising a Harrier jet to anyone who collected 7,000,000 Pepsi Points,[23] a gag that backfired when a participant attempted to take advantage of the ability to buy additional points for 10 cents each to claim a jet for $700,000. When Pepsi turned him down, a lawsuit ensued, in which the judge ruled that any reasonable person would conclude that the ad was a joke.[24]

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes
  1. ^ Norden 2006, p. 49.
  2. ^ Norden 2006, p. 61.
  3. ^ Norden 2006, Appendix A.
  4. ^ Jenkins 1998, pp. 69–70.
  5. ^ Jenkins 1998, pp. 70–72.
  6. ^ Norden 2006, pp. 42–44, 48–49.
  7. ^ Norden 2006, pp. 48–49.
  8. ^ Jenkins 1998, pp. 88-89.
  9. ^ Harrier Projects. airforce-technology.com
  10. ^ Jenkins 1998, pp. 69-74.
  11. ^ How the Harrier hovers Harrier.org.uk. Retrieved: 17 April 2010.
  12. ^ Spick and Gunston 2000, pp. 366–370, 387-409.
  13. ^ Adams, Charlotte (14 December 1997). "Voice-recognition technology: Waiting to exhale". Federal Computer Week. 1105 Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  14. ^ AV-8B HARRIER II
  15. ^ Donald 2004, p. 89.
  16. ^ Harrier II Plus (AV-8B) VSTOL Fighter and Attack Aircraft, USA. airforce-technology.com
  17. ^ "'Nightmare's Prayer': A Jet Fighter's Missions". NPR public radio network. 24 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  18. ^ a b Alan C. Miller and Kevin Sack (15 December 2002). "Far From Battlefield, Marines Lose One-Third of Harrier Fleet". Los Angeles Times via Pulitzer.org.
  19. ^ Jenkins 1998, p. 4.
  20. ^ a b c "Directory: World Air Forces". Flight International, 14–20 December 2010.
  21. ^ Norden 2006, Appendix C.
  22. ^ "McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace AV-8B Harrier II Attack Fighter". Aircraft Museum. Aerospaceweb.org. 2006-04-01. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  23. ^ Pepsi Harrier Jet commercial. youtube.com.
  24. ^ Epstein, David G. Making and Doing Deals: Contracts in Context, 2nd Ed., 2006. p. 55.
Bibliography
  • Donald, David (2004). Modern Battlefield Warplanes. Norwalk, Connecticut: AIRtime Publishing. ISBN 1-880588-76-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Jenkins, Dennis R. Boeing / BAe Harrier. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 1998. ISBN 1-58007-014-0.
  • Markman, Steve and Bill Holder. "MAC-DAC/BAe AV-8 Harrier Vectored Thrust VTOL". Straight Up: A History of Vertical Flight. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7643-1204-9.
  • Nordeen, Lon O. Harrier II, Validating V/STOL. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2006. ISBN 1-59114-536-8.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to AV-8B Harrier II.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McDonnell_Douglas_AV-8B_Harrier_II&oldid=416765597"