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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 2780.PDF
Britain's forces have yet to join the Harrier 11 Plus programme giving the aircraft, a "helping hand" on take off and so increasing payload. The effective ness of the Sea Harrier was demonstrated during the Falklands conflict in 1982. Including replacements for aircraft lost in the Falklands, a total of 61 Sea Harrier FRS.ls and two-seat T.4Ns has been pur chased and the aircraft, powered by the 96.7kN-thrust Pegasus 11 Mkl04, equip three Royal Navy carriers—Invincible, Illus trious and Ark Royal. The Indian Navy ordered the Sea Harrier in December 1979, to operate from the ex-Royal Navy carrier Vikrant. Later India bought Britain's ski-jump-equipped Hermes for ser vice as the Viraat. India has bought 23 Sea Harrier FRS.51s, plus four T.60 trainers, to equip the two vessels. The first FRS.51 was handed over to India in January 1983. NEXT GENERATION While the UK was developing the Harrier GR.3 and Sea Harrier FRS.l, essentially system improvements to the basic aircraft, the USA was planning more radical changes to the airframe to improve performance. McDonnell Douglas began development of the AV-8B in 1975 and the first of two YAV- 8B prototypes, modified AV-8As, flew in November 1978 to prove the modifications. These included a new, larger wing, revised nozzles and lift improvement devices. The changes doubled the AV-8's payload/range performance. The US Marine Corps awarded the AV-8B full-scale development contract in 1979, leading to a first flight on 26 February, 1981. That year McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace signed a joint manufacturing agreement to built 390 Harrier lis, 328 AV-8Bs for the USMC and 62 Harrier GR.5s for the RAF. The Harrier II is powered by the Pegasus 11-21 (Mkl05 in the UK, F402-406 in the USA), rated at 97.9kN thrust, although AV- 8Bs are now being delivered to the Marine Corps with the 105.9kN-thrust Pegasus 11- 61 (F404-408). The first AV-8B was handed over to the USMC in January 1984, the aircraft entering service in August 1985. The two-seat TAV-8B flew in October 1986. The Spanish Navy, which ordered 12 EAV-8B Matadors in 1983, received the first three aircraft in October 1987. The first GR.5, meanwhile, flew at BAe Dunsfold on 30 April, 1985. In April 1988 the UK announced a follow- on order for 34 Harrier lis, the aircraft to be designated Harrier GR.7s and fitted with night-attack avionics and the Zeus electronic countermeasures system. The night-attack system was similar to that first flown in the AV-8B Night Attack variant in June 1987. INTO THE NIGHT The first production Marine Corps night- attack AV-8B was delivered in September 1989 and the service intends that its last 134 Harrier lis will be so equipped. The aircraft differs from the standard AV-8B in that it has a GEC Sensors forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) sensor mounted in the nose, GEC Avionics pilot night-vision goggles, Smiths Industries wide-angle headup and colour head-down displays, and Honeywell digital moving map system. The Harrier GR.7 similarly introduces full night-attack capability to RAF Harrier lis. The aircraft, which flew for the first time on 29 November last year, is equipped with the same GEC Sensors FLIR and Smiths Indus tries displays as the AV-8B Night Attack, while the digital moving map unit is supplied by GEC Avionics and the goggles by GEC- Ferranti. The GR.7 is also equipped with the Marconi Defence Systems Zeus internal jammer, where USMC AV-8Bs are planned to receive the Westinghouse/ITT ALQ-165 air borne self-protection jamming system. Another difference is the introduction in USMC AV-8Bs of the Pegasus 11-61 (F404- 408) rated at 105.9kN. The first flight of the 11-61-powered Harrier II was in June 1989. APG-65 gives the Harrier II Pius the capability to fire the radar-guided AIM-120 56 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 12-18 September 1990
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