Features:
Armament/Weapons
Detailed Crew Figure(s)
Fuel Tanks
Moving Part(s)
Opening Canopy
Optional Undercarriage Down
Marking a significant development in the history of this magnificent
aircraft, the Harrier II may have shared many visual similarities with
its famous VSTOL predecessor, however, was actually a very different
aeroplane altogether, one which owed much to the American McDonnell
Douglas Corporation. Essentially, this new generation of Harrier was a
completely different aircraft, a much more capable aeroplane in every
respect and a space age development of this now familiar VSTOL Harrier
theme. This programme would eventually result in the introduction of the
much more capable British Harrier GR.5 in 1987 and further successive
upgrades over the next couple of decades which would maintain the
Harrier's position as one of the world's foremost strike/attack aircraft
and one which possessed such unique attributes that it was described by
many as being the most valuable fixed wing aviation asset available to
any air arm in the world.With increased range, power and weapons
carrying capability, this new generation of Harrier was intended to
strike hard and fast, often at the outset of any military contact
engagement, before returning once refuelled and rearmed to support
infantry units in their endeavours. Always on station and always in the
thick of the action, is it any wonder why military personnel held the
Harrier in the same affection in which the public always have. This
upgrade development only served to enhance the legacy of the Harrier,
with this later generation of aircraft regarded as arguably the most
flexible aviation asset available to any air force in times of conflict
and the one most likely to be deployed first.Without doubt, the
attribute which made the Harrier famous and cemented its place in the
hearts of aviation enthusiasts all over the world was its ability to
take off and land vertically, a capability which gave the aircraft
incredible versatility and making it something akin to a helicopter, but
with the speed and striking power of a fixed wing jet. In truth,
performing a vertical take-off in an operational situation was something
which rarely happened, as this would use too much fuel, place a strain
on the engine and not allow the aircraft to operate with anything like
an effective weapons load. A rolling take-off would still see the
Harrier taking to the air in a much shorter distance than traditional
strike aircraft, but would also allow it to carry a much more effective
weapons load and additional fuel.At its heart, the Harrier was a mud
mover, an aircraft ground forces could rely on to help them dislodge
enemy strongholds or particularly stubborn areas of resistance,
undoubtedly saving the lives of countless troops in the process. As the
Harrier II continued to be developed, this famous aircraft would become
ever more effective, be that whilst operating from a land base, or from
the deck of an appropriate ship - the Harrier didn't even need a large
aircraft carrier from which to conduct offensive operations. As one of
the most capable aviation assets in RAF service, Harriers were never too
far from the world's conflict hotspots, such as Operation 'Herrick',
Britain's commitment to supporting British and NATO personnel on
operations in Afghanistan.Providing air cover, ground close air support
and air strikes against enemy insurgents, the first detachment of six
RAF Harriers arrived at Kandahar Airfield in 2004, with aircraft
remaining in theatre until Harriers were relieved by RAF Tornados in
2009. Flying a punishing schedule of these vital missions in support of
ground operations, Harriers from Nos 3, 1 and 4 Squadrons would rotate
through Kandahar during that time, augmented by No.800 Naval Air
Squadron from September 2006 until January 2007.During one of the busy
periods of operational flying from Kandahar, a morale boosting visit was
arranged for British troops to meet two rather high profile celebrities
between hectic flying commitments. Page three pin up girls Michelle
Marsh and Lucy Pinder travelled to Afghanistan to show their support for
the troops and in preparation for their visit, ground crews made two
rather unique artistic additions to two of their Harriers. Harrier ZD437
had a silhouette of Michelle Marsh applied to her nose at the head of
her impressive mission marking scoreboard and was also given the name
'Michelle'. The other aircraft, Harrier ZD404, benefitted for a similar
application, but this time carrying a representation of Lucy Pinder on
its nose and appropriately given the name 'Lucy'.The two celebrities
appeared to be rather taken with this unique tribute and several
photographs of them posing with their respective Harriers were taken and
used for publicity purposes. Unfortunately, RAF officials were less
enthusiastic about this development and quickly ordered the artwork to
be removed, meaning that these Harriers would only carry their rather
notorious artwork for a relatively short period. During Operation
Herrick, the vast majority of British aircraft committed to the mission
were based and operated from RAF Kandahar.BAe Harrier GR7 ZD437 made its
first flight on 3rd November 1989 and was delivered to the RAF later
that same month. She was one of the aircraft still based at Cottesmore
on the occasion of the Harrier's final flight operation in British
service on 15th December 2010, although she had long since shed her
famous page three nose artwork by then.As proved to be the case with
most of the airworthy Harriers withdrawn from British service in 2010
and in a move which infuriated a great many people at the time, the
remaining UK Harrier fleet of around 74 airframes, plus all available
spares and associated equipment, were sold as a single lot to America in
2011. They needed the aircraft in order to maintain their own fleet of
US Marine Corps Harriers flying, aircraft which they intended to keep in
service for many years to come. With many of the British aircraft only
recently having undergone upgrade and re-fit at significant expense to
the treasury, the Americans were getting something of an aviation
bargain. One knowledgeable aviation commentator at the time described
how the US were ruthlessly taking advantage of this unexpected
situation, benefiting from all the money the Brits had only recently
spent on extending the service life of their Harriers. ‘It’s like they
are buying a car with only 15,000 miles on the clock at a knock-down
price’ and with that cost being a staggeringly modest £110 Million, this
was certainly a shrewd piece of international aviation business.