3D model
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A procedural model built in Blender from published dimensions, drawings and photographs, painted as ZE694 ‘004’ of No. 801 Naval Air Squadron in overall Medium Sea Grey, with toned-down roundels, the black-and-white chequered rudder and HMS Invincible’s ‘N’ on the fin, as it stands at the Midland Air Museum. Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom · download .glb (980 KB)
History
The Sea Harrier FA.2
When the Royal Navy lost its big fleet carriers in the 1970s, the Harrier offered a way to keep fixed-wing fighters at sea aboard the new Invincible-class ships. British Aerospace raised the cockpit for a better view, added a Blue Fox radar in a folding nose and used corrosion-resistant materials for life at sea. The first Sea Harrier FRS.1 flew on 20 August 1978, and a bow ‘ski-jump’ ramp let it take off heavier from a short deck.
Four years later Sea Harriers from HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible provided the fleet’s air defence in the Falklands. Armed with AIM-9L Sidewinders, they shot down around twenty Argentine aircraft without losing one in air combat.
The FA.2 that followed was a thorough upgrade: the Blue Vixen pulse-Doppler radar in a longer, blunter nose, AMRAAM missiles, a new cockpit and a short plug in the rear fuselage. The first conversion flew in 1988 and the type entered service in 1993, flying over Bosnia from Invincible. The Royal Navy retired its last Sea Harriers in March 2006.
This airframe
FA.2 ZE694
ZE694 was built as a Sea Harrier FRS.1 and later converted to FA.2 standard. It is displayed at the Midland Air Museum beside Coventry Airport. The model shows it as ‘004’ of No. 801 Naval Air Squadron in overall Medium Sea Grey, with toned-down roundels, the squadron’s black-and-white chequered rudder and trident badge, and HMS Invincible’s ‘N’ at the top of the fin.
Where to see one
In the gazetteer
The gazetteer records the Sea Harrier FA.2 in 6 UK collections. The airframe modelled here is marked.