Specifications compared
| Variant compared | Harrier GR.3 | Sea Harrier FA2 |
|---|---|---|
| First flight | 28 Dec 1967 (GR.1) | 20 Aug 1978 (Sea Harrier); Sep 1988 (FA2 prototype) |
| Entered service | 1 Apr 1969 (RAF, GR.1) | 1981 (FRS.1); 1993 (FA2) |
| Max speed | 635 kn (731 mph) at sea level | 618 kn (711 mph, Mach 0.94) at sea level |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce Pegasus 103, 21,500 lbf | Rolls-Royce Pegasus 106, 21,500 lbf |
| Armament | 2 × 30 mm ADEN pods; 5,000 lb on 5 pylons; Sidewinder | 2 × 30 mm ADEN pods; 8,000 lb on 5 pylons; AMRAAM and Sidewinder |
| Number built | 278 (first-generation Harrier family) | 98 (all Sea Harriers) |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
The Harrier
The Harrier grew from the Hawker P.1127 and Kestrel. Its Pegasus engine vectored thrust through four nozzles, allowing vertical or short take-off and landing.
The Harrier GR.1 flew on 28 December 1967 and entered RAF service on 1 April 1969. It was the first operational V/STOL ground-attack and reconnaissance aircraft. Critics pointed to a high accident rate and slow maintenance.
The Harrier was later redesigned with McDonnell Douglas as the AV-8B and British Aerospace Harrier II. The RAF flew the newer version as the GR.7 and GR.9.
The Sea Harrier
The Royal Navy wanted a fighter for its small Invincible-class carriers, which had a ski-jump at the bow. The Sea Harrier was based on the Harrier GR.3.
The ski-jump let a Sea Harrier leave a short deck carrying more than a flat deck allowed. It could also take off conventionally from a runway.
It had a raised cockpit with a bubble canopy and a longer nose for Blue Fox radar. Parts were changed to resist corrosion at sea. The prototype flew at Dunsfold on 20 August 1978, and the type was operational in 1981.
After the Falklands, the FA2 upgrade added the Blue Vixen radar and AMRAAM missiles. The FA2 entered service in 1993.
The Falklands, 1982
The Sea Harrier was the only fixed-wing fighter protecting the task force. Sea Harriers shot down 20 Argentine aircraft; two were lost to ground fire.
Ten Harrier GR.3s of No. 1 Squadron flew from HMS Hermes. They needed quick modifications for sea, including anti-corrosion sealants and new navigation aids. They concentrated on attacking ground targets.
The record and a myth
278 first-generation Harriers were built, including American AV-8As. Only 98 Sea Harriers were built, for Britain and India. The Royal Navy withdrew its Sea Harriers early, in 2006; India flew them until 2016.
The Sea Harrier is sometimes pictured as a supersonic fighter. It was subsonic, like the RAF Harrier it came from.
Where to see a Harrier and a Sea Harrier
The Fleet Air Arm Museum tells the whole story, from the P.1127 to a Sea Harrier FRS.1, an FA.2 and a Harrier GR.9A. IWM Duxford, Tangmere Military Aviation Museum and South Wales Aviation Museum each pair a Harrier GR.3 with a Sea Harrier FA.2.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boscombe Down Aviation CollectionSalisbury, Wiltshire | £13.50 | 49 | The Lancaster cockpit reproduction tour, and a test-and-evaluation pedigree collection you can physically inhabit rather than admire… |
| Fleet Air Arm MuseumYeovil, Somerset | £21 | 97 | Concorde 002 (G-BSST), the first British-assembled Concorde, which made her maiden flight from Filton in 1969 and now headlines a hall of… |
| IWM DuxfordCambridge, Cambridgeshire | £29 | 146 | Concorde 101 (G-AXDN), the pre-production development aircraft and the fastest Concorde of them all at Mach 2.23 — plus an SR-71A… |
| Midland Air MuseumCoventry, Warwickshire | £11 | 66 | Vulcan XL360 with cockpit access and volunteer-led tours (ask for the instrumentation talk), plus the Whittle jet heritage collection a… |
| South Wales Aviation MuseumBarry, Vale of Glamorgan | £10 | 73 | The resident Harrier and a growing VC10/Tornado-era collection, most with steps and open canopies. Kids exit wearing thousand-yard grins. |
| Tangmere Military Aviation MuseumChichester, West Sussex | £15 | 23 | Hawker Hunter WB188 in one-off scarlet, in which Neville Duke took the world air speed record to 727.63 mph off this coast in 1953;… |
Frequently asked
What is the difference between the Harrier and the Sea Harrier?
The Sea Harrier has a raised cockpit, a radar nose and naval equipment. It was a fleet fighter; the RAF Harrier was built for ground attack and reconnaissance.
How many aircraft did Sea Harriers shoot down in the Falklands?
Twenty. Two Sea Harriers were lost to ground fire.
Where can I see a Harrier and a Sea Harrier together?
The Fleet Air Arm Museum, IWM Duxford, Tangmere Military Aviation Museum and South Wales Aviation Museum, among others.