#2173
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1978· v/stol ground-attack aircraft
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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. AV-8B Harrier II Plus spanish navy (cropped): David Fierro Iglesias· CC BY 2.0
- 2. AV-8B Harrier Marine Attack Squadron 211: United States Marines· Public domain
- 3. AV-8B II Harrier, 5-10-26 at MCAS Cherry Point: Yo momma12793· CC BY 4.0
- 4. Boeing AV-8B Harrier II, Italy - Navy JP7306232: Aldo Bidini· GFDL 1.2
- 5. Harrier AV-8B banking left, revealing under-fuselage section: Michael Pereckas from Milwaukee, WI, USA· CC BY 2.0
- 6. Marina Militare AV-8B Harrier II: Aldo Bidini· GFDL 1.2
- 7. McDonnell Douglas EAV-8B+ Harrier II (VA.1B-27 01-917) de la 9ª Escuadrilla de la Flotilla de Aeronaves en la rampa de despegue del L-61 (34292836963): Contando Estrelas from Vigo, España / Spain· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 8. U.S. Marines with Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 211 replace the wings of an AV-8B Harrier II aircraft at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Sept 120903-M-EF955-059: Sgt Paulo Keonaona· Public domain
- 9. US Navy 080915-N-2183K-006 Marines clean and inspect the 25mm cannon of an AV-8B Harrier jet aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5): U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dustin Kelling· Public domain
- 10. United States Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II hovering: D. Miller from IL. USA· CC BY 2.0
what is it?
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primarily employed on light attack or multi-role missions, ranging from close air support of ground troops to armed reconnaissance. The AV-8B has served with the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the Spanish Navy, and the Italian Navy.
How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · 9.3 m wingspan
base stats
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 48 years ago, in 1978.
- Top speed is 8.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 9.3 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
- Range of 2,200 km: 12× Amsterdam to Brussels.
- Can fly 1.3× 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
- 1978-11-09
- introduced
- 1985
- retired
- 2026
- status
- still flying
- number built
- 337
- role
- v/stol ground-attack aircraft
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- McDonnell Douglas, BAE Systems
- engines
- 1× Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) / Rolls-Royce Pegasus
- crew
- 1
- length
- 14.1 m
- wingspan
- 9.3 m
- height
- 3.6 m
- max take-off weight
- 10.4 t
- top speed
- 1,083 km/h
- range
- 2,200 km
- ceiling
- 11,580 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q635687, Wikipedia: McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.