Hawker Siddeley Harrier The Hawker Siddeley Harrier , known colloquially as the " Harrier Jump Jet " , was developed in the 1960s and formed the first generation of the Harrier series of aircraft . It was the first operational close - support and reconnaissance fighter aircraft with vertical / short takeoff and landing ( V / STOL ) capabilities and the only truly successful V / STOL design of the many that arose in that era . The Harrier was produced directly from the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel prototypes following the cancellation of a more advanced supersonic aircraft , the Hawker Siddeley P . 1154 . The British Royal Air Force ( RAF ) ordered the Harrier GR . 1 and GR . 3 variants in the late 1960s . It was exported to the United States as the AV - 8A , for use by the US Marine Corps ( USMC ) , in the 1970s . The RAF positioned the bulk of their Harriers in West Germany to defend against a potential invasion of Western Europe by the Soviet Union ; the unique abilities of the Harrier allowed the RAF to disperse their forces away from vulnerable airbases . The USMC used their Harriers primarily for close air support , operating from amphibious assault ship s , and , if needed , forward operating base s . Harrier squadrons saw several deployments overseas . The Harrier ' s ability to operate with minimal ground facilities and very short runways allowed it to be used at locations unavailable to other fixed - wing aircraft . The Harrier received criticism for having a high accident rate and for a time - consuming maintenance process . In the 1970s the British Aerospace Sea Harrier was developed from the Harrier for use by the Royal Navy ( RN ) on s . The Sea Harrier and the Harrier fought in the 1982 Falklands War , in which the aircraft proved to be crucial and versatile . The RN Sea Harriers provided fixed - wing air defence while the RAF Harriers focused on ground - attack missions in support of the advancing British land force . The Harrier was also extensively redesigned as the AV - 8B Harrier II and British Aerospace Harrier II by the team of McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace . The innovative Harrier family and its Rolls - Royce Pegasus engines with thrust vectoring nozzles have generated long - term interest in V / STOL aircraft . Similar V / STOL operational aircraft include the contemporary Soviet Yakovlev Yak - 38 . A V / STOL variant of the Lockheed Martin F - 35 Lightning II is currently under development . Development . Origins . The Harrier ' s design was derived from the Hawker P . 1127 . Prior to developing the P . 1127 Hawker Aircraft had been working on a replacement for the Hawker Hunter , the Hawker P . 1121 . The P . 1121 was cancelled after the release of the British Government ' s 1957 Defence White Paper , which advocated a policy shift away from manned aircraft and towards missiles . This policy resulted in the termination of the majority of aircraft development projects then underway for the British military . Hawker sought to quickly move on to a new project and became interested in Vertical Take Off / Landing ( VTOL ) aircraft , which did not need runways . According to Air Chief Marshal Sir Patrick Hine this interest may have been stimulated by the presence of Air Staff Requirement 345 , which sought a V / STOL ground attack fighter for the Royal Air Force . Design work on the P . 1127 was formally started in 1957 by Sir Sydney Camm , Ralph Hooper of Hawker Aircraft and Stanley Hooker ( later Sir Stanley Hooker ) of the Bristol Engine Company . The close cooperation between Hawker , the airframe company , and Bristol , the engine company , was viewed by project engineer Gordon Lewis as one of the key factors that allowed the development of the Harrier to continue in spite of technical obstacles and political setbacks . Rather than using rotors or a direct jet thrust , the P . 1127 had an innovative vectored thrust turbofan engine , the Pegasus . The Pegasus I was rated at of thrust and first ran in September 1959 . A contract for two development prototypes was signed in June 1960 and the first flight followed in October 1960 . Of the six prototypes built three crashed — including one during an air display at the 1963 Paris Air Show . Tripartite evaluation . In 1961 the United Kingdom , United States and West Germany jointly agreed to purchase nine aircraft developed from the P . 1127 , for the evaluation of the performance and potential of V / STOL aircraft . These aircraft were built by Hawker Siddeley and were designated " Kestrel FGA . 1 " by the UK . The Kestrel was strictly an evaluation aircraft and to save money the Pegasus 5 engine was not fully developed as intended , only having of thrust instead of the projected . The Tripartite Evaluation Squadron numbered ten pilots ; four each from the UK and US and two from West Germany . The Kestrel ' s first flight took place on 7 March 1964 . A total of 960 sorties had been made during the trials , including 1 , 366 takeoffs and landings , by the end of evaluations in November 1965 . One aircraft was destroyed in an accident and six others were transferred to the United States , assigned the US designation " XV - 6A Kestrel " , and underwent further testing . The two remaining British - based Kestrels were assigned for further trials and experimentation at RAE Bedford with one being modified to use the uprated Pegasus 6 engine . P . 1154 . At the time of the development of the P . 1127 Hawker and Bristol had also undertaken considerable development work on a supersonic version , the Hawker Siddeley P . 1154 , to meet a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ( NATO ) requirement issued for such an aircraft . The design used a single Bristol Siddeley BS100 engine with four swivelling nozzles , in a fashion similar to the P . 1127 , and required the use of plenum chamber burning ( PCB ) to achieve supersonic speeds . The P . 1154 won the competition to meet the requirement against stern competition from other aircraft manufacturers such as Dassault Aviation ' s Mirage IIIV . The French government did not accept the decision and withdrew ; the NATO requirement was cancelled shortly after in 1965 . The Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy planned to develop and introduce the supersonic P . 1154 independently of the cancelled NATO requirement . This ambition was complicated by the conflicting requirements between the two services — while the RAF wanted a low - level supersonic strike aircraft , the Navy sought a twin - engined air defence fighter . Following the election of the Labour Government of 1964 the P . 1154 was cancelled , as the Royal Navy had already begun procurement of the McDonnell Douglas Phantom II and the RAF placed a greater importance on the BAC TSR - 2 ' s ongoing development . Work continued on elements of the project , such as a supersonic PCB - equipped Pegasus engine , with the intention of developing a future Harrier variant for the decades following cancellation . Production . Following the collapse of the P . 1154 ' s development the RAF began considering a simple upgrade of the existing subsonic Kestrel and issued Requirement ASR 384 for a V / STOL ground attack jet . Hawker Siddeley received an order for six pre - production aircraft in 1965 , designated " P . 1127 ( RAF ) " , of which the first made its maiden flight on 31 August 1966 . An order for 60 production aircraft , designated as Harrier GR . 1 , was received in early 1967 . The aircraft was named after the Harrier , a small bird of prey capable of hovering , the naming following from the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel . The Harrier GR . 1 made its first flight on 28 December 1967 . It officially entered service with the RAF on 18 April 1969 when the Harrier Conversion Unit at RAF Wittering received its first aircraft . The aircraft were built in two factories — one in Kingston upon Thames , southwest London , and the other at Dunsfold Aerodrome , Surrey — and underwent initial testing at Dunsfold . The ski - jump technique for launching Harriers from Royal Navy aircraft carriers was extensively trialled at RNAS Yeovilton from 1977 . Following these tests ski - jumps were added to the flight decks of all RN carriers from 1979 onwards , in preparation for the new variant for the navy , the Sea Harrier . In the late 1960s the British and American governments held talks on producing Harriers in the United States . Hawker Siddeley and McDonnell Douglas formed a partnership in 1969 in preparation for American production , but Congressman Mendel Rivers and the House Appropriations Committee held that it would be cheaper to produce the AV - 8A on the pre - existing production lines in the United Kingdom — hence all AV - 8A Harriers were purchased from Hawker Siddeley . Improved Harrier versions with better sensors and more powerful engines were developed in later years . The USMC received 102 AV - 8A and 8 TAV - 8A Harriers between 1971 and 1976 . Design . Overview . The Harrier is typically used as a ground attack aircraft , though its manoeuvrability also allows it to effectively engage other aircraft at short ranges . The Harrier is powered by a single Pegasus turbofan engine mounted in the fuselage . The engine is fitted with two air intakes and four vectoring nozzles for directing the thrust generated : two for the bypass flow and two for the jet exhaust . Several smaller reaction nozzles are also fitted , in the nose , tail and wingtips , for the purpose of balancing during vertical flight . It has two landing gear units on the fuselage and two outrigger landing gear units , one on each wing tip . The Harrier is equipped with four wing and three fuselage pylons for carrying a variety of weapons and external fuel tanks . The Kestrel and the Harrier were similar in appearance , though approximately 90 per cent of the Kestrel ' s airframe was redesigned for the Harrier . The Harrier was powered by the more powerful Pegasus 6 engine ; new air intakes with auxiliary blow - in doors were added to produce the required airflow at low speed . Its wing was modified to increase area and the landing gear was strengthened . Several hardpoint s were installed , two under each wing and one underneath the fuselage ; two ADEN cannon gun pod s could also be fitted to the aircraft ' s underside . The Harrier was outfitted with updated avionics to replace the basic systems used in the Kestrel ; a navigational - attack system incorporating an inertial navigation system , originally for the P . 1154 , was installed and information was presented to the pilot by a head - up display and a moving map display . The Harrier ' s VTOL abilities allowed it to be deployed from very small prepared clearings or helipads as well as normal airfields . It was believed that , in a high - intensity conflict , air bases would be vulnerable and likely to be quickly knocked out . The capability to scatter Harrier squadrons to dozens of small " alert pads " on the front lines was highly prized by military strategists and the USMC procured the aircraft because of this ability . Hawker Siddeley noted that STOL operation provided additional benefits over VTOL operation , saving fuel and allowing the aircraft to carry more ordnance . The Harrier , while serving for many decades in various forms , has been criticised on multiple issues ; in particular a high accident rate , though Nordeen notes that several conventional single - engine strike aircraft like the Douglas A - 4 Skyhawk and LTV A - 7 Corsair II had worse accident rates . The " Los Angeles Times " reported in 2003 that the Harrier " . . . has amassed the highest major accident rate of any military plane now in service . Forty - five Marines have died in 148 noncombat accidents " . Colonel Lee Buland of the USMC declared the maintenance of a Harrier to be a " challenge " ; the need to remove the wings before performing most work upon the engine , including engine replacements , meant the Harrier required considerable man - hours in maintenance , more than most aircraft . Buland noted however that the maintenance difficulties were unavoidable in order to create a V / STOL aircraft . Engine . The Pegasus turbofan jet engine , developed in tandem with the P . 1127 then the Harrier , was designed specifically for V / STOL manoeuvring . Bristol Siddeley developed it from their earlier conventional Orpheus turbofan engine , the main difference being the thrust generated is directed through four rotatable nozzles . The engine is equipped for water injection to increase thrust and takeoff performance in hot and high altitude conditions ; in normal V / STOL operations the system would be used in landing vertically with a heavy weapons load . The water injection function had originally been added following the input of US Air Force Colonel Bill Chapman , who worked for the Mutual Weapons Development Team . Water injection was necessary in order to generate maximum thrust , if only for a limited time , and was typically used during landing , especially in high ambient temperatures . The aircraft was initially powered by the Pegasus 6 engine which was replaced by the more powerful Pegasus 11 during the Harrier GR . 1 to GR . 3 upgrade process . The primary focus throughout the engine ' s development was on achieving high performance with as little weight as possible , tempered by the amount of funding that was available . Following the Harrier ' s entry to service the focus switched to improving reliability and extending engine life ; a formal joint US – UK Pegasus Support Program operated for many years and spent a £3 - million annual budget to develop engine improvements . Several variants have been released ; the latest is the Pegasus 11 – 61 ( Mk 107 ) , which provides 23 , 800 lbf ( 106 kN ) thrust , more than any previous engine . Controls and handling . The Harrier has been described by pilots as " unforgiving " . The aircraft is capable of both forward flight ( where it behaves in the manner of a typical fixed - wing aircraft above its stall speed ) , as well as VTOL and STOL manoeuvres ( where the traditional lift and control surfaces are useless ) requiring skills and technical knowledge usually associated with helicopters . Most services demand great aptitude and extensive training for Harrier pilots , as well as experience in piloting both types of aircraft . Trainee pilots are often drawn from highly experienced and skilled helicopter pilots . In addition to normal flight controls , the Harrier has a lever for controlling the direction of the four vectoring nozzles . It is viewed by senior RAF officers as a significant design success , that to enable and control the aircraft ' s vertical flight required only a single lever added in the cockpit . For horizontal flight , the nozzles are directed rearwards by shifting the lever to the forward position ; for short or vertical takeoffs and landings , the lever is pulled back to point the nozzles downwards . The Harrier has two control elements not found in conventional fixed - wing aircraft : the thrust vector and the reaction control system . The thrust vector refers to the slant of the four engine nozzles and can be set between 0° ( horizontal , pointing directly backwards ) and 98° ( pointing down and slightly forwards ) . The 90° vector is normally deployed for VTOL manoeuvring . The reaction control is achieved by manipulating the control stick and is similar in action to the cyclic control of a helicopter . While irrelevant during forward flight mode , these controls are essential during VTOL and STOL manoeuvres . The wind direction is a critical factor in VTOL manoeuvres . The procedure for vertical takeoff involves facing the aircraft into the wind . The thrust vector is set to 90° and the throttle is brought up to maximum , at which point the aircraft leaves the ground . The throttle is trimmed until a hover state is achieved at the desired altitude . The short - takeoff procedure involves proceeding with normal takeoff and then applying a thrust vector ( less than 90° ) at a runway speed below normal takeoff speed ; usually the point of application is around . For lower takeoff speeds the thrust vector is greater . The reaction control system involves a series of thrusters at key points in the aircraft ' s fuselage and nose , also the wingtips . Thrust from the engine can be temporarily syphoned to control and correct the aircraft ' s pitch and roll during vertical flight . Rotating the vectored thrust nozzles into a forward - facing position during normal flight is called vectoring in forward flight , or " VIFFing " . This is a dog - fighting tactic , allowing for sudden braking and higher turn rates than would normally be possible for an aircraft with such a short wingspan . Braking could cause a chasing aircraft to overshoot and present itself as a target for the Harrier it was chasing , a combat technique formally developed by the USMC for the Harrier in the early 1970s . Differences between versions . The two largest users of the Harrier were the Royal Air Force and the United States Marine Corps ( USMC ) . The exported model of the aircraft operated by the USMC was designated the AV - 8A Harrier , which was broadly similar to the RAF ' s Harrier GR . 1 . Changes included the removal of all magnesium components , which corroded quickly at sea , and the integration of American radios and Identification Friend or Foe ( IFF ) systems ; furthermore the outer pylons , unlike the RAF aircraft , were designed from delivery to be equipped with self - defence AIM - 9 Sidewinder heat - seeking air - to - air missiles . Most of the AV - 8As had been delivered with the more powerful Pegasus engine used in the GR . 3 instead of the one used in the earlier GR . 1 . Two - seat Harriers were operated for training purposes ; the body was stretched and a taller tail fin added . The RAF trained in the T . 2 and T . 4 versions , while T . 4N and T . 8 were training versions the Navy ' s Sea Harrier , with appropriate fittings . The US and Spain flew the TAV - 8A and TAV - 8S , respectively . All RAF GR . 1s and the initial AV - 8As were fitted with the Ferranti FE541 inertial navigation / attack suite , but these were replaced in the USMC Harriers by a simpler Interface / Weapon Aiming Computer to aid quick turnaround between missions . The Martin - Baker ejection seats were also replaced by the Stencel SEU - 3A in the American aircraft . The RAF had their GR . 1 aircraft upgraded to the GR . 3 standard , which featured improved sensors , a nose - mounted laser tracker , the integration of electronic countermeasure ( ECM ) systems and a further upgraded Pegasus Mk 103 . The USMC upgraded their AV - 8As to the AV - 8C configuration ; this programme involved the installation of ECM equipment and adding a new inertial navigation system to the aircraft ' s avionics . Substantial changes were the Lift Improvement Devices , to increase VTOL performance ; at the same time several airframe components were restored or replaced to extend the life of the aircraft . Spain ' s Harriers , designated AV - 8S or VA . 1 Matador for the single - seater and TAV - 8S or VAE . 1 for the two - seater , were almost identical to USMC Harriers differing only in the radios fitted . The Royal Navy ' s Fleet Air Arm ( FAA ) operated a substantially modified variant of the Harrier , the British Aerospace Sea Harrier . The Sea Harrier was not intended for ground - attack duties and , unlike the standard Harrier , was equipped with radar and Sidewinder missiles for air combat duties and fleet air defence . The Sea Harrier was also fitted with navigational aids for carrier landings , modifications to reduce corrosion and a raised bubble - canopy for greater visibility . The aircraft were later equipped to use AIM - 120 AMRAAM beyond - visual - range anti - aircraft missiles and the more advanced Blue Vixen radar for longer range air - to - air combat , as well as Sea Eagle missile s for conducting anti - ship missions . The McDonnell Douglas AV - 8B Harrier II is the latest Harrier variant , a second - generation series to replace the first generation of Harrier jets already in service ; all the above variants of the Harrier have mainly been retired with the Harrier II taking their place in the RAF , USMC and FAA . In the 1970s the United Kingdom considered two options for replacing their existing Harriers : joining McDonnell Douglas ( MDD ) in developing the BAE Harrier II , or the independent development of a " Big Wing " Harrier . This proposal would have increased the wing area from , allowing for significant increases in weapons load and internal fuel reserves . The option of cooperation with MDD was chosen in 1982 over the more risky isolated approach . Operational history . Royal Air Force . The first RAF squadron to be equipped with the Harrier GR . 1 , No . 1 Squadron , started to convert to the aircraft at RAF Wittering in April 1969 . An early demonstration of the Harrier ' s capabilities was the participation of two aircraft in the " Daily Mail " Transatlantic Air Race in May 1969 , flying between St Pancras railway station , London and downtown Manhattan with the use of aerial refuelling . The Harrier completed the journey in 6 hours 11 minutes . Two Harrier squadrons were established in 1970 at the RAF ' s air base in Wildenrath to be part of its air force in Germany ; another squadron was formed there two years later . In 1977 , these three squadrons were moved forward to the air base at Gütersloh , closer to the prospective front line in the event of an outbreak of a European war . One of the squadrons was disbanded and its aircraft distributed between the other two . In RAF service , the Harrier was used in close air support ( CAS ) , reconnaissance , and other ground - attack roles . The flexibility of the Harrier led to a long - term heavy deployment in West Germany as a conventional deterrent and potential strike weapon against Soviet aggression ; from camouflaged rough bases the Harrier was expected to launch attacks on advancing armour columns from East Germany . Harriers were also deployed to bases in Norway and Belize , a former British colony . No . 1 Squadron was specifically earmarked for Norwegian operations in the event of war , operating as part of Allied Forces Northern Europe . The Harrier ' s capabilities were necessary in the Belize deployment , as it was the only RAF combat aircraft capable of safely operating from the airport ' s short runway ; British forces had been stationed in Belize for several years due to tensions over a Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory ; the forces were withdrawn in 1993 , two years after Guatemala recognized the independence of Belize . In the Falklands War in 1982 , 10 Harrier GR . 3s of No . 1 Squadron operated from the aircraft carrier HMS " Hermes " . As the RAF Harrier GR . 3 had not been designed for naval service , the 10 aircraft had to be rapidly modified prior to the departure of the task force . Special sealants against corrosion were applied and a new deck - based inertial guidance aid was devised to allow the RAF Harrier to land on a carrier as easily as the Sea Harrier . Transponder s to guide aircraft back to the carriers during night - time operations were also installed , along with flares and chaff dispensers . As there was little space on the carriers , two requisitioned merchant container ships , the and , were modified with temporary flight decks and used to carry Harriers and helicopters to the South Atlantic . The Harrier GR . 3s focused on providing close air support to the ground forces on the Falklands and attacking Argentine positions ; suppressing enemy artillery was often a high priority . Sea Harriers were also used in the war , primarily conducting fleet air defence and combat air patrol s against the threat of attacking Argentine fighters . However , both Sea Harriers and Harrier GR . 3s were used in ground - attack missions against the main airfield and runway at Stanley . If most of the Sea Harriers had been lost , the GR . 3s would have replaced them in air patrol duties , even though the Harrier GR . 3 was not designed for air defence operations ; as such the GR . 3s quickly had their outboard weapons pylons modified to take air - to - air Sidewinder missiles . From 10 to 24 May 1982 , prior to British forces landing in the Falklands , a detachment of three GR . 3s provided air defence for Ascension Island until three F - 4 Phantom IIs arrived to take on this responsibility . During the Falklands War , the greatest threats to the Harriers were deemed to be surface - to - air missiles ( SAMs ) and small arms fire from the ground . In total , four Harrier GR . 3s and six Sea Harriers were lost to ground fire , accidents , or mechanical failure . More than 2 , 000 Harrier sortie s were conducted during the conflict — equivalent to six sorties per day per aircraft . Following the Falklands war , British Aerospace explored the Skyhook , a new technique to operate Harriers from smaller ships . Skyhook would have allowed the launching and landing of Harriers from smaller ships by holding the aircraft in midair by a crane ; secondary cranes were to hold weapons for rapid re - arming . This would potentially have saved fuel and allowed for operations in rougher seas . The system was marketed to foreign customers , and it was speculated that Skyhook could be applied to large submarines such as the Russian , but the system attracted no interest . The first generation of Harriers did not see further combat with the RAF after the Falklands War , although they continued to serve for years afterwards . As a deterrent against further Argentine invasion attempts , No . 1453 Flight RAF was deployed to the Falkland Islands from August 1983 to June 1985 . However the second generation Harrier II s saw action in Bosnia , Iraq , and Afghanistan . The first generation Hawker Siddeley airframes were replaced by the improved Harrier II , which had been developed jointly between McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace . United States Marine Corps . The United States Marine Corps began showing a significant interest in the aircraft around the time the first RAF Harrier squadron was established in 1969 , and this motivated Hawker Siddeley to further develop the aircraft to encourage a purchase . Although there were concerns in Congress about multiple coinciding projects in the close air support role , the Marine Corps were enthusiastic about the Harrier and managed to overcome efforts to obstruct its procurement . The AV - 8A entered service with the Marine Corps in 1971 , replacing other aircraft in the marines ' attack squadrons . The service became interested in performing ship - borne operations with the Harrier . Admiral Elmo Zumwalt promoted the concept of a Sea Control Ship , a 15 , 000 - ton light carrier equipped with Harriers and helicopters , to supplement the larger aircraft carriers of the US Navy . An amphibious assault ship , the , was converted into the " Interim Sea Control Ship " and operated as such between 1971 and 1973 with the purpose of studying the limits and possible obstacles for operating such a vessel . Since then the Sea Control Ship concept has been subject to periodic re - examinations and studies , often in the light of budget cuts and questions over the use of supercarrier s . Other exercises were performed to demonstrate the AV - 8A ' s suitability for operating from various amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers , including a deployment of 14 Harriers aboard for six months in 1976 . The tests showed , amongst other things , that the Harrier was capable of performing in weather where conventional carrier aircraft could not . In support of naval operations , the USMC devised and studied several methods to further integrate the Harrier . One result was " Arapaho " , a stand - by system to rapidly convert civilian cargo ships into seagoing platforms for operating and maintaining a handful of Harriers , to be used to augment the number of available ships to deploy upon . When the reactivation of the s was under consideration , a radical design for a battleship - carrier hybrid emerged that would have replaced the ship ' s rear turret with a flight deck , complete with a hangar and two ski jumps , for operating several Harriers . However , the USMC considered the need for naval gunfire support to be a greater priority than additional platforms for carrier operations , while the cost and delay associated with such elaborate conversions was significant , and the concept was dropped . The Marines Corps ' concept for deploying the Harriers in a land - based expeditionary role focused on aggressive speed . Harrier forward bases and light maintenance facilities were to be set up in under 24 hours on any prospective battle area . The forward bases , containing one to four aircraft , were to be located from the forward edge of battle ( FEBA ) , while a more established permanent airbase would be located around from the FEBA . The close proximity of forward bases allowed for a far greater sortie rate and reduced fuel consumption . The AV - 8A ' s abilities in air - to - air combat were tested by the Marine Corps by conducting mock dogfights with McDonnell Douglas F - 4 Phantom II s ; these exercises trained pilots to use the vectoring - in - forward - flight ( VIFF ) capability to outmanoeuvre their opponents and showed that the Harriers could act as effective air - to - air fighters at close range . The success of Harrier operations countered scepticism of V / STOL aircraft , which had been judged to be expensive failures in the past . Marine Corps officers became convinced of the military advantages of the Harrier and pursued extensive development of the aircraft . Starting in 1979 the USMC began upgrading their AV - 8As to the AV - 8C configuration — the work focused mainly on extending useful service lives and improving VTOL performance . The AV - 8C and the remaining AV - 8A Harriers were retired by 1987 . These were replaced by the Harrier II , designated as the AV - 8B , which was introduced into service in 1985 . The performance of the Harrier in USMC service led to calls for the United States Air Force to procure Harrier IIs in addition to the USMC ' s own plans , but these never resulted in Air Force orders . Since the late 1990s , the AV - 8B has been slated to be replaced by the F - 35B variant of the Lockheed Martin F - 35 Lightning II , a more modern V / STOL jet aircraft . Other operators . Due to the Harrier ' s unique characteristics it attracted a large amount of interest from other nations , often as attempts to make their own V / STOL jets were unsuccessful , such as in the cases of the American XV - 4 Hummingbird and the German VFW VAK 191B . Operations by the USMC aboard the in 1981 and by British Harriers and Sea Harriers in the Falklands War proved that the aircraft were highly effective in combat . These operations also demonstrated that " Harrier Carriers " provided a powerful presence at sea without the expense of big deck carriers . Following the display of Harrier operations from small carriers , the navies of Spain and later Thailand bought the Harrier for use as their main carrier - based fixed - wing aircraft . Spain ' s purchase of Harriers was complicated by long - standing political friction between the British and Spanish governments of the era ; even though the Harriers were manufactured in the UK they were sold to Spain with the US acting as an intermediary . Since 1976 , the Spanish Navy operated the AV - 8S Matador from their aircraft carrier ( formerly the ) ; the aircraft provided both air defence and strike capabilities for the Spanish fleet . Spain later purchased five Harriers directly from the British government to replace losses . Hawker Siddeley aggressively marketed the Harrier for export . At one point the company was holding talks with Australia , Brazil , Switzerland , India and Japan . Of these only India became a customer , purchasing the Sea Harrier . At one point China came very close to becoming an operator of the first generation Harrier . Following an overture by the UK in the early 1970s , when relations with the West were warming , China became interested in the aircraft as it sought to modernise its armed forces ; British Prime Minister James Callaghan noted significant hostility from the USSR over the sales bid . The deal was later cancelled by the UK as part of a diplomatic backlash after China invaded Vietnam in 1979 . The Spanish Navy , Thai Navy , Royal Air Force , and United States Marine Corps have all retired their first - generation Harriers . Spain sold seven single - seat and two twin - seat Harriers to Thailand in 1998 . The Royal Thai Navy ' s AV - 8S Matadors were delivered as part of the air wing deployed on the new light aircraft carrier . The Thai Navy had from the start significant logistical problems keeping the Harriers operational due to a shortage of funds for spare parts and equipment , leaving only a few Harriers serviceable at a time . In 1999 , two years after being delivered , only one airframe was in airworthy condition . Around 2003 , Thailand considered acquiring former Royal Navy Sea Harriers , which were more suitable for maritime operations and better equipped for air defence , to replace their AV - 8S Harriers ; this investigation did not progress to a purchase . The last first - generation Harriers were retired by Thailand in 2006 .