page_title: British Aerospace Sea Harrier
section_title: Variants
hierarchical_section_title: British Aerospace Sea Harrier / Variants
caption_attribution_description: A Royal Navy BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1 aircraft from 800 Naval Air Squadron makes its takeoff roll along the flight deck of the British light aircraft carrier HMS Invincible (R05) during the NATO Southern Region exercise "Dragon Hammer '90".
context_page_description: The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft; the second member of the Harrier Jump Jet family developed. It first entered service with the Royal Navy in April 1980 as the Sea Harrier FRS1 and became informally known as the "Shar". Unusual in an era in which most naval and land-based air superiority fighters were large and supersonic, the principal role of the subsonic Sea Harrier was to provide air defence for Royal Navy task groups centred around the aircraft carriers.
  The Sea Harrier served in the Falklands War and the Balkans conflicts; on all occasions it mainly operated from aircraft carriers positioned within the conflict zone. Its usage in the Falklands War was its most high profile and important success, when it was the only fixed-wing fighter available to protect the British Task Force. The Sea Harriers shot down 20 enemy aircraft during the conflict; 2 Sea Harriers were lost to enemy ground fire. They were also used to launch ground attacks in the same manner as the Harriers operated by the Royal Air Force.
context_section_description: Sea Harrier FRS.1
  57 FRS1s were delivered between 1978 and 1988; most survivors converted to Sea Harrier FA2 specifications from 1988.
  Sea Harrier FRS.51
  Single-seat fighter, reconnaissance, and attack aircraft made for the Indian Navy, similar to the British FRS1.  Unlike the FRS1 Sea Harrier, it is fitted with Matra R550 Magic air-to-air missiles. These aircraft were later upgraded with the Elta EL/M-2032 radar and the Rafael Derby BVRAAM missiles.
  Sea Harrier F(A).2
  Upgrade of FRS1 fleet in 1988, featuring the Blue Vixen Pulse-Doppler radar and the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.
caption: A Sea Harrier FRS 1 on HMS Invincible
exif: {}