The Capital Air Show. im not sure which type of Harrier this was. Development:
The Harrier II is notable as an example of US-UK cooperation and of Cold War defense achievements. Of note is the U.S aid funding early development of the Hawker P.1127 under the Mutual Weapons Development Program (MWDP), and the salvaging of what was left of the AV-16 Advanced Harrier Program by McDonnell Douglas, making the second-generation family possible. McDonnell Douglas had restarted its own program which was nearing production status when British Aerospace (BAe) rejoined the program in the 1980s. They then jointly produced the aircraft, and BAe developed second generation Harriers from the aircraft. By the 1990s McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing, and BAe was merged into BAE Systems who went on to manage the family into the early 21st century. The AV-8B had its direct origins in a joint British-U.S. project (Hawker-Siddeley and McDonnell Douglas) for a much-improved Harrier aircraft, the AV-16. However cost over-runs in engine development on the part of Rolls Royce and in the aircraft development caused the British to pull out of the program.
A YAV-8B Harrier II tests a ski jump at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
A YAV-8B Harrier II tests a ski jump at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Interest remained in the U.S., so a less ambitious, though still expensive project was undertaken by McDonnell on their own catered to U.S. needs. Using things learned from AV-16 development, though dropping some things such as further Pegasus development, the development work continued leading to the AV-8B for the U.S. Marine Corps. The aircraft was centered on the Marines' need for a light ground attack airplane and focused on payload and range as opposed to speed. In the early 1980s, the British restarted development of their own second generation Harrier based on the U.S. design which led eventually to the GR.5. The first two YAV-8B prototypes were converted from existing AV-8A airframes.
Author: DanaShells Keywords: Harrier air plane The Capital Air Show. Added: March 15, 2008
