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BAe HARRIER GR.9
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
History of the Harrier
As early as 1953, based on experiences in Korea, the Air Ministry had issued as request for tender for a vertical research aircraft; and the following year Short Brothers were given a contract to build two prototypes of Hugh Conway’s SC.1 design. One of them is now displayed in the Ulster Transport Museum.
When the replacement for the Hawker Hunter was cancelled in 1957, it allowed Sydney Camm and his team at Hawker Aircraft to look at a more elegant idea. In company with the Bristol Aeroplane Co., who were planning the planning the Pegasus engine, they had a frankly more viable option in the P.1127
Image: ALAN WILSON
Preparations were in hand to move on from tethered trials, conducted in the Summer 1960, when Sir Project Engineer, Ralph Hooper said the Camm, “I suppose you are going to do some conventional flying first?” To which, Camm replied, “… not going to bother with that, vertical first time.” The first untethered flight took place on 19 November at RAF Dunsfold, in the hands of Bill Bedford, and it was not until February 1961 that P.1127 achieved its first conventional flight.
Despite its early success, the P.1127 was not universally popular. It was not supersonic and failed to meet some of NATO’s Basic Military Requirements (NBMR). However the Ministry for Aviation obtained funding to order nine production-standard aircraft to create an evaluation unit at RAF West Raynham.
Thankfully, the troublesome NBMR was cancelled soon after and the first improved P.1127, known as the Kestrel FGA.1, flew on 7 March 1964.
I will skip around the P.1154 debacle which was cancelled in 1965. Early in 1967 an order for sixty production aircraft was placed, and the aircraft was given the name ‘Harrier’ (originally intended for P.1154 had it reached production.)
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
The Harrier GR.1 made its first flight on 28 December 1967, and entered service at RAF Wittering in April 1969. The GR.1 was replaced by the GR.3, an aircraft with more advanced ground attack sensors and Electronic Countermeasures equipment, in the early 70s.
To cover for the withdrawal of its conventional aircraft carriers by the end of the decade, the Admiralty was looking at a naval VTOL option. Trials with early Harriers proved them impractical until they were coupled with a ramp designed by Lt.Cdr Douglas Taylor RN. An order for twenty-four Sea Harrier FRS.1s was placed in 1975, the first flying at Dunsfold in June 1979.
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
The FRS.1 and GR.3 were ‘blooded’ during the Falklands Conflict, when twenty-eight naval fighters and fourteen RAF ground-attack aircraft were embarked in HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes.
Following the conflict realising, that whilst effective, the GR.3 was limited to short-range daytime missions Hawker proposed an upgrade to its GR.3, however the UK Government refused to fund a purchase until McDonnell-Douglas, who were producing a version of the Harrier as the AV8A for the USMC, offered surprisingly generous terms for the UK to ‘hop onboard’ their AV8B Harrier II programme.
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
The result was a radical upgrade to the original version. The Harrier II used a more powerful engine developed in partnership with Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce. About 25% of the airframe was composite, reducing weight, which generated increased payload and endurance; and allowed the fitting of more complex avionics.
Sixty aircraft are ordered and the GR.5 entered service in October 1988 with No.1 Squadron RAF was declared operation in 1989. However, it was but a stepping-off point, for further modifications.
The GR.7 followed, with Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) sensor coupled with Night Vision Googles (NVG) transformed daylight/clear weather tactical support Harrier into a true all-rounder with night and all-weather capability.
Thirty-four aircraft are delivered from 1990-1991.
Among those was ZD465, the aircraft we have recently welcomed to the UAS Collection. She first flew on 15 February 1990 and was delivered 2 months later. She was with No.1 Squadron in 1992, and No.4 Sqn by 1996.
The potential battlefield for the Harrier had changed. With the collapse of the Berlin Wall the prospect of ‘invading Russian hordes’ soon vanished. The GR.7 missed ‘Gulf War 1 (Op.Granby) due to not being fully operational with all weapons types, and the future of the RAF Harrier force was in a little doubt.
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
But this was reversed when RAF units were involved in almost continuous operations from 1992-1999. The BBC reported that in a 78 day period during Op. Allied Force (Kosovo) twelve GR.7s flew 870 sorties, and a direct hit rate of 80%.
As part of a Strategic Defence Review (SDR) announced in April 2000, the formation of Joint Force 2000 (later Joint Force Harrier (JFH)) was a proposal to combine RAF and RN Harrier operations.
Initially this would include four RAF GR.7 Squadron and two Sea Harrier FA.2 Naval Air Squadrons, as a joint unit within RAF Strike Command. The concept of JFH was that RN and RAF component units would deploy to shore bases and onto modified Invincible-class CVS aircraft carriers.
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
Ashore, in 2003 the GR.7 played an prominent role in Op.Telic. From 2004 onward JHF units were being deployed on four month roulement to Kandahar Airfield, in Afghanistan.
The first was No.3 Sqn, with Nos.1 & IV(AC) and 800 NAS in due course. In 2006 JHF units started transition to the GR.9; with updated weapons and targeting system, an enhanced GPS navigation fit, and tactical data-link system.
Despite the thrust of Operation Herrick, it was essential that JHF continue to train for operations at sea. ZD465 was photographed operating onboard HMS Illustrious with Nos.1 Sqn in 2005, and again as a ‘swan song’ for No.3 Sqn. in 2006.
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
That spring the FA.2 was withdrawn from service and replaced by GR.7s, formerly of No.3 Sqn RAF, which had recently switched to the Typhoon F2. In 2007 the following year the two naval squadrons, merged into a single unit known as Naval Strike Wing.
In the 2010 SDR the Government announced the GR.9 would be withdrawn from service at the end of the year, and they would be replaced by Tornado GR.4s. This was completely unexpected.
Plans for JHF had been based on an expectation that the Harrier would remain in service until replaced by the F-35B Lightning II in or around 2018; however, it was a necessary measure to save approx. £450m. In 2011 most of the airframes were sold to the USMC as a source of spare parts.
By the time JFH withdrew from Op.Herrick the squadrons had flown over 8,500 sorties, flying more than 22,000 hrs., primarily delivering Close Air Support (CAS) to British and NATO troops engaged with Taliban insurgents, achieving a sortie success rate exceeding 90% without loss.
Harrier ZD465 was withdrawn from service in November 2010, and moved to the RN Air Engineering School at HMS Sultan in Gosport, where it was used for ground instruction training. In 2025 it was agreed that it would be moved to the Ulster Aviation Society from May 2026.
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
Harrier Research by Tim Brown.
Sources, and other reading from the UAS Aviation Library:
‘Joint Force Harrier’ by Cdr Adrian Orchard RN & James Barrington (Penguin Books 2008)
‘Harrier’ by Jonathan Clancy (Atlantic Books 2014)
‘Harrier Boys’ (Vol.I & II) by Rob Marston (Grub Street 2015/2016)
‘Harrier GR 7/9 Units in Combat’ Michael Napier (Osprey Publishing 2023)
Several other books and biographies are available
