British Aerospace Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval VTOL / STOVL jet fighter , reconnaissance and attack aircraft , a development of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier . 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 of the fleet from Royal Navy aircraft carriers . The Sea Harrier served in the Falklands War , both of the Gulf War s , 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 , where 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 with one 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 . The Sea Harrier was marketed for sales abroad , but by 1983 India was the only operator other than Britain after sales to Argentina and Australia were unsuccessful . A second , updated version for the Royal Navy was made in 1993 as the Sea Harrier FA2 , improving its air to air abilities and weapons compatibilities , along with a more powerful engine ; this version continued manufacture until 1998 . The aircraft was withdrawn early from Royal Navy service in March 2006 and replaced in the short term by the Harrier GR9 , now itself retired , although the intended long term replacement is Lockheed Martin ' s F - 35 Lightning II . The Sea Harrier is in active use in the Indian Navy , although it will eventually be replaced by the Mikoyan MiG - 29K . Although withdrawn from active Royal Navy service , Sea Harriers are used to train naval aircraft handlers at the Royal Navy School of Flight Deck Operations . Development . In the post - war era , the Royal Navy began contracting in parallel with the break - up of the British Empire overseas and the emergence of the Commonwealth of Nations , reducing the need for a larger navy . By 1960 the last battleship , HMS " Vanguard " , was retired from the Navy , having been in service for less than fifteen years . Perhaps the biggest sign of the new trend towards naval austerity came in 1966 , when the planned CVA - 01 class of large aircraft carrier s destined for the Royal Navy was cancelled ; apparently ending the Navy ' s involvement in fixed - wing carrier aviation as World War II era carriers were slowly retired one by one . During this time requirements within the Royal Navy began to form for a vertical and / or short take - off and landing ( V / STOL ) carrier - based interceptor to replace the de Havilland Sea Vixen . Afterward the first V / STOL tests on a ship began with a Hawker Siddeley P . 1127 landing on in 1963 . A second concept for the future of naval aviation emerged in the early 1970s as the first of a new class of " through deck cruisers " was planned . These were very carefully and politically designated as cruisers to deliberately avoid the term " aircraft carrier " , in order to increase the chances of funding from a hostile political climate against expensive capital ship s , they were considerably smaller than the previously sought CVA - 01 . These ships were ordered as the " Invincible " class in 1973 , and are now popularly recognised as aircraft carriers . Almost immediately upon their construction , a ski - jump was added to the end of the 170 - metre deck , enabling the carriers to effectively operate a small number of V / STOL jets . The Royal Air Force ' s Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR1s had entered service in April 1969 . A navalised variant of the Harrier was developed by Hawker Siddeley to serve on the upcoming ships , this became the Sea Harrier . In 1975 the Royal Navy ordered 24 Sea Harrier " FRS . 1 " ( standing for ' Fighter , Reconnaissance , Strike ' ) aircraft , the first of which entered service in 1978 . During this time Hawker Siddeley became part of British Aerospace through nationalisation in 1977 . By the time the prototype Sea Harrier was flown at Dunsfold on 20 August 1978 the order had been increased to 34 . The Sea Harrier was declared operational in 1981 on board the first " Invincible " class ship HMS " Invincible " , and further aircraft joined the ageing HMS " Hermes " aircraft carrier later that year . Following their key role in the 1982 Falklands War , several lessons were learned from the aircraft ' s performance , which led to approval for an upgrade of the fleet to " FRS . 2 " ( later known as " FA2 " ) standard to be given in 1984 . The first flight of the prototype took place in September 1988 and a contract was signed for 29 upgraded aircraft in December that year . In 1990 the Navy ordered 18 new - build FA2s , at a unit cost of around £12 million , four further upgraded aircraft were ordered in 1994 . The first aircraft was delivered on 2 April 1993 . Design . The Sea Harrier is a subsonic aircraft designed to fill strike , reconnaissance and fighter roles . It features a single Rolls - Royce Pegasus turbofan engine with two intakes and four vectorable nozzles . It has two landing gear on the fuselage and two outrigger landing gear on the wings . The Sea Harrier is equipped with four wing and three fuselage pylons for carrying weapons and external fuel tanks . Use of the ski jump allowed the aircraft to take off from a short flight deck with a heavier loadout than otherwise possible , although it can also take off like a conventional loaded fighter without thrust vectoring from a normal airport runway . The Sea Harrier was largely based on the Harrier GR3 , but was modified to have a raised cockpit with a " bubble " canopy for greater visibility , and an extended forward fuselage to accommodate the Ferranti Blue Fox radar . Parts were changed to use corrosion resistant alloys or coatings were added to protect against the marine environment . After the Falklands War , the Sea Harrier was fitted with the new anti - ship Sea Eagle missile . The Sea Harrier FA2 featured the Blue Vixen radar , which was described as one of the most advanced pulse doppler radar systems in the world ; the Blue Fox radar was seen be some critics as having comparatively low performance for what was available at the time of procurement . The Blue Vixen formed the basis for development of the Eurofighter Typhoon ' s CAPTOR radar . The Sea Harrier FA2 also carried the AIM - 120 AMRAAM missile , the first UK aircraft to be provided with this capability . An upgraded model of the Pegasus engine , the Pegasus Mk 106 , was used in the Sea Harrier FA2 ; in response to the threat of radar - based anti aircraft weapons electronic countermeasures were added . Other improvements included an increase to the air - to - air weapons load , look - down radar , increased range , and improved cockpit displays . The cockpit in the Sea Harrier includes a conventional centre stick arrangement and left - hand throttle . In addition to normal flight controls , the Harrier has a lever for controlling the direction of the four vectorable nozzles . The nozzles point rearward with the lever in the forward position for horizontal flight . With the lever back , the nozzles point downward for vertical takeoff or landing . The usefulness of the vertical landing capability of the Sea Harrier was demonstrated in an incident on 6 June 1983 , when Sub Lieutenant Ian Watson lost contact with the aircraft carrier " HMS Illustrious " and had to land Sea Harrier ZA176 on the foredeck of the Spanish cargo ship " Alraigo " . In 2005 , although already timetabled to be retired , a Sea Harrier was modified with an ' Autoland ' system to allow the fighter to perform a safe vertical landing without any pilot interaction . Despite the pitching of a ship posing a natural problem , the system was designed to be aware of such data , and successfully performed a landing at sea in May 2005 . Operational history . Royal Navy . Entry into service . The first three Sea Harriers were a development batch and were used for clearance trials . The first production aircraft was delivered to RNAS Yeovilton in 1979 to form an Intensive Flying Trials Unit ( also known as 700A Naval Air Squadron ) . In March 1980 the Intensive Flying Trials Unit became 899 Naval Air Squadron and would act as the landborne headquarters unit for the type . The first operational squadron 800 Naval Air Squadron was also formed in March 1980 initially to operate from HMS " Invincible " before it transferred to HMS " Hermes " . In January 1981 a second operation squadron 801 Naval Air Squadron was formed to operate from HMS " Invincible " . Falklands War . Sea Harriers took part in the Falklands War of 1982 , flying from the aircraft carriers HMS " Invincible " and HMS " Hermes " . The Sea Harriers performed the primary air defence role with a secondary role of ground attack . The RAF Harrier GR3 provided the main ground attack force , a total of 28 Sea Harriers and 14 Harrier GR3s were deployed in the theatre . The Sea Harrier squadrons shot down 20 Argentine aircraft in air - to - air combat with no air - to - air losses , although two Sea Harriers were lost to ground fire and four to accidents . Out of the total Argentine air losses , 28 % were shot down by Harriers . A number of factors contributed to the failure of the Argentinian fighters to shoot down a Sea Harrier . Although the Mirage III and Dagger jets were considerably faster , the Sea Harrier was considerably more manoeuvrable . Tactics such as the ' Viff ' ( Vectored in Forward Flight ) using the nozzles normally used for vertical flight for braking and other directions proved decisive in dogfights , although at least one reputable source has reported Viffing was not used by RN pilots in the Falklands . Moreover , the Harrier employed the latest AIM - 9L Sidewinder missiles and the Blue Fox radar . The British pilots had superior air - combat training , one manifestation of which was that they thought they noticed Argentinian pilots occasionally releasing weapons outside of their operating parameters . This is now thought to have been Mirages releasing external fuel tanks rather than weapons , and turning away from conflict with the Sea Harrier . This later reduced their capability to fight an effective campaign against the Sea Harrier due to reduced range and lack of external fuel tanks . British aircraft received fighter control from warships in San Carlos Water , although its effectiveness was limited by their being stationed close to the islands , which severely limited the effectiveness of their radar . The differences in tactics and training between 800 Squadron and 801 Squadron has been a point of criticism , suggesting that the losses of several ships were preventable had Sea Harriers from " Hermes " been used more effectively . Both sides ' aircraft were operating in adverse conditions . Argentine aircraft were forced to operate from the mainland because airfields on the Falklands were only suited for propellor - driven transports . In addition , fears partly aroused by the bombing of Port Stanley airport by a British Vulcan bomber added to the Argentinians ' decision to operate them from afar . As most Argentine aircraft lacked in - flight refuelling capability , they were forced to operate at the limit of their range . The Sea Harriers also had limited fuel reserves due to the tactical decision to station the British carriers out of Exocet missile range and the dispersal of the fleet . The result was that an Argentine aircraft could only allow five minutes over the islands to search and attack an objective , while a Sea Harrier could stay near to 30 minutes waiting in the Argentine approach corridors and provide Combat Air Patrol coverage for up to an hour . The Sea Harriers were outnumbered by the available Argentinian aircraft , and were on occasion decoyed away by the activities of the " Escuadrón Fénix " or civilian jet aircraft used by the Argentine Air Force . They had to operate without a fleet early warning system such as AWACS that would have been available to a full NATO fleet in which the Royal Navy had expected to operate , which was a significant weakness in the operational environment . However , it is now known that Chile did provide early radar warning to the Task Force . The result was that the Sea Harriers could not establish complete air superiority and prevent Argentine attacks during day or night , nor could they completely stop the daily C - 130 Hercules transports ' night flights to the islands . A combined six Sea Harriers were lost to either enemy fire , accidents or mechanical failure during the war . The total aggregate loss rate for both the Harriers and Sea Harriers on strike operations was 2 . 3 % . Operations in the 1990s . The Sea Harrier saw action in war again when it was deployed in the 1992 – 1995 conflict in Bosnia , part of the Yugoslav Wars . It launched raids on Serb forces and provided air - support for the international taskforce units conducting Operations Deny Flight and Deliberate Force against the Army of Republika Srpska . On 16 April 1994 , a Sea Harrier of the 801 Naval Air Squadron , operating from the aircraft carrier HMS " Ark Royal " , was brought down by a surface - to - air missile fired by the Army of Republika Srpska while attempting to bomb two Bosnian Serb tanks . The pilot , Lieutenant Nick Richardson , ejected and landed in territory controlled by friendly Bosnian Muslims . It was used again in the 1999 NATO campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Operation Allied Force , Sea Harriers which operated from HMS " Invincible " frequently patrolled the airspace to keep Yugoslavian MiGs on the ground . They were also deployed to Sierra Leone on board HMS " Illustrious " in 2000 , which was itself part of a Royal Navy convoy to supply and reinforce British intervention forces in the region . Retirement . The Sea Harrier was withdrawn from service in 2006 and the last remaining aircraft from 801 Naval Air Squadron were decommissioned on 29 March 2006 . The plans for retirement were announced in 2002 by the Ministry of Defence . The aircraft ' s replacement , the F - 35 Lightning II , was originally due in 2012 , the MoD arguing that significant expenditure would be required to upgrade the fleet for only six years of service . By March 2010 , the F - 35 ' s introduction had been pushed back to 2016 at the earliest , with the price doubled . The decision to retire the Sea Harrier early has been criticised by some officers within the military . Both versions of Harrier experienced reduced engine performance ( Pegasus Mk 106 in FA2 – Mk 105 in GR7 ) in the higher ambient temperatures of the Middle East , which restricted the weight of payload that the Harrier could return to the carrier in ' vertical ' recoveries . This was due to the safety factors associated with aircraft " land - on " weights . The natural option – to install higher - rated Pegasus engines – would not be as straightforward as the Harrier GR7 upgrade and would likely be an expensive and slow process . Furthermore , the Sea Harriers were subject to a generally more hostile environment than land - based Harriers , with corrosive salt spray a particular problem . A number of aircraft were retained by the School of Flight Deck Operations at RNAS " Culdrose " . The Royal Navy ' s Fleet Air Arm would continue to share the other component of Joint Force Harrier . Harrier GR7 and the upgraded Harrier GR9 were transferred to Royal Navy squadrons in 2006 , but were retired prematurely a few years later due to budget cuts . The UK plans to purchase the STOVL F - 35B to be operated from the Royal Navy ' s Future " Queen Elizabeth " class aircraft carrier . Indian Navy . In 1977 , the Indian government approved of plans to acquire the Sea Harrier for the Indian Navy ; prior to this , rumours reportedly were circulating of a potential Indian purchase of the Soviet V / STOL - capable Yak - 36 . In 1979 , India placed its first order for 6 Sea Harriers , the first three of which arrived at Dabolim Airport on 16 December 1983 . A separate deal for a further ten Sea Harriers were purchased in November 1985 ; eventually a total of 30 Harriers were procured , 25 for operational use and the remainder as dual - seat trainer aircraft . Until the 1990s , significant portions of pilot training was carried out in Britain due to limited aircraft availability . The introduction of the Sea Harrier allowed for the retirement of India ' s previous carrier fighter aircraft , the Hawker Sea Hawk , as well as for the Navy ' s aircraft carrier , INS " Vikrant " ( ex - HMS " Hercules " ) , to be extensively modernised between 1987 and 1989 . India has operated Sea Harriers from both the aircraft carriers INS " Vikrant " and INS " Viraat " ( ex - HMS " Hermes " ) . The Sea Harrier allowed several modern missiles to be introduced into naval operations , such as the British anti - ship Sea Eagle missile , and the French Matra Magic missile for air - to - air combat . Other ordnance has included 68 mm rockets , runway - denial bombs , cluster bombs , and podded 30 mm cannons . There have been a significant number of accidents involving the Sea Harrier ; this accident rate has caused approximately half the fleet to be lost with only 11 fighters remaining in service . Following a crash in August 2009 , all Sea Harriers were temporarily grounded for inspection . Since the beginning of operational service in the Indian Navy , seven pilots have died in 17 crashes involving the Sea Harrier , usually during routine sorties . In 2006 , the Indian Navy expressed interest in acquiring up to eight of the Royal Navy ' s recently retired Sea Harrier FA2s in order to maintain their operational Sea Harrier fleet , Neither the Sea Harrier FA2 ' s Blue Vixen radar , the radar warning receiver or AMRAAM capability was proposed to be included ; certain US software would be also be uninstalled prior to shipment . By October 2006 , reports emerged that the deal had not materialised due to the cost of airframe refurbishment . As of 2006 , the Indian Navy was in the process of upgrading up to 15 Sea Harriers in collaboration with Israel by installing the Elta EL / M - 2032 radar and the Rafael ' Derby ' medium range air to air missile . This will enable the Sea Harrier to remain in Indian service until beyond 2012 , and also see limited service off the new carriers it will acquire by that time frame . Ultimately India plans to introduce larger aircraft carriers that can operate Russian MiG - 29K carrier fighters from their flight decks to replace the Sea Harrier . Survivors . A number surviving Sea Harrier airframes are held by museums and private owners , and a number of others are at the Royal Navy School of Flight Deck Operations at RNAS Culdrose . The following is an incomplete list of some of the surviving aircraft . Notable appearances in media . The Harrier ' s unique characteristics have led to it being featured a number of films and video games .