British Aerospace Harrier II

what is it?

The British Aerospace Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used previously by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and, between 2006 and 2010, the Royal Navy (RN). The aircraft was the latest development of the Harrier family, and was derived from the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II. Initial deliveries of the Harrier II were designated in service as Harrier GR5; subsequently upgraded airframes were redesignated accordingly as GR7 and GR9. Under the Joint Force Harrier organisation, both the RAF and RN operated the Harrier II under the RAF's Air Command, including deployments on board the navy's Invincible-class aircraft carriers.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · 9.3 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 1,065 km/htop speed
• size 14.1 tmax take-off weight
• built 143made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 41 years ago, in 1985.
• 🏎️Top speed is 8.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 9.3 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🏔️Can fly 1.7× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1985-04-30

introduced

1989

retired

2011

status

retired

number built

143

role

v/stol strike aircraft

origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

makers

McDonnell Douglas, British Aerospace

engines

1× Rolls-Royce Pegasus Mk. 105

crew

1

length

14.1 m

wingspan

9.3 m

height

3.6 m

max take-off weight

14.1 t

top speed

1,065 km/h

range

—

ceiling

15,240 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family