Hawker Siddeley Harrier

AV-8C

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AV-8C Harrier

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Two U.S. Marine Corps Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier aircraft receive fuel from a Marine Refueler-Transport Squadron 252 (VMGR-252) Lockheed KC-130R Hercules aircraft (BuNo 160625) during a flight out of Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina (USA), in 1978.

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Other operators


Due to the Harrier's unique characteristics it attracted a large amount of interest from other nations, often as attempts to make their own V/STOL jets were unsuccessful; such as in the cases of the American [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the German [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Operations by the USMC aboard the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in 1981 and by British Harriers and Sea Harriers in the Falklands War
proved that the aircraft were highly effective in combat.

These operations also demonstrated that "Harrier Carriers" provided a powerful presence at sea without the expense of big deck carriers.

Due to the display of usefulness of the Harrier on small carriers, the navies of Spain and later Thailand bought the Harrier for use as their main carrier-based fixed-wing aircraft.

Spain's purchase of Harriers was complicated by long-standing political friction between the British and Spanish governments of the era; even though the Harriers were manufactured in the UK they were sold to Spain with the US acting as an intermediary.

The Spanish Navy operated the AV-8S Matador from their aircraft carrier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (formerly the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]), with the Harriers providing both air defence and strike capabilities for the Spanish fleet starting in 1976. Spain later purchased five Harriers directly from the British government to replace losses.