List of Harrier operators

Harrier GR.1 / GR.3
AV-8A/C/S Harrier
An AV-8S Matador flies over the Spanish aircraft carrier Dédalo(R01).
Role V/STOL ground-attack aircraft
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Hawker Siddeley
First flight 28 December 1967 (Harrier)
Introduction 1 April 1969
Status Active service with Royal Thai Navy
Primary users Royal Air Force (historical)
United States Marine Corps (historical)
Spanish Navy (historical)
Royal Thai Navy
Produced 1967–1970s
Number built 278[1]
Developed from Hawker Siddeley P.1127/Kestrel
Developed into British Aerospace Sea Harrier
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
British Aerospace Harrier II

This is a list of operators of the Hawker-Siddeley Harrier family of V/STOL ground attack / fighter aircraft, designed and built in the United Kingdom and United States of America.

Contents

P.1127 / prototype / evaluation aircraft operators

 United Kingdom
Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment P.1127 and Kestrel trials and evaluation
Royal Air Force
Central Fighter Establishment - Kestrel (P.1127) Evaluation Squadron (also known as the Tripartite Evaluation Squadron), nine Kestrel aircraft allocated for evaluation in 1965. One aircraft was lost in an accident, six aircraft later passed to the United States Army, one to the RAE and one to Hawker-Siddeley for further trials.[2]
Royal Aircraft Establishment P.1127 and Kestrel trials and evaluation.[2]
 United States
United States Army
(aircrew participated in both the Tri-partite Evaluation Squadron and as part of the American XV-6A Tri-service evaluation team. Had three Kestrel aircraft allocated after the evaluation at West Raynham and also acquired the three allocated to Germany. Four later transferred to the United States Air Force and two to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration).[3]
United States Air Force
(aircrew participated in both the Tri-partite Evaluation Squadron and as part of the American XV-6A Tri-service evaluation team but had no aircraft allocated after the evaluation at West Raynham, four former United States Army aircraft operated for trials).[3]
United States Navy
(aircrew participated in both the Tri-partite Evaluation Squadron and as part of the American XV-6A Tri-service evaluation team but had no aircraft allocated after the evaluation).[3]
NASA
operated two former United States Army Kestrels.[3]
 West Germany
Luftwaffe
(aircrew participated in the Tri-partite Evaluation Squadron, three allocated Kestrel aircraft not delivered and passed to United States Army)[3]

First generation Harrier operators

 India
Indian Navy
Operated the Harrier T.54 for Sea Harrier training.[4]
 Spain
Spanish Navy
No. 008 Escuadrilla – AV-8S and TAV-8S Matador.[5]
 Thailand
Royal Thai Navy
Squadron 1 Wing3 (HTMS Chakri Naruebet Flying Unit) – AV-8S and TAV-8S.[5] In 1999, only one aircraft of the 10 former Spanish aircraft received was believed to be airworthy because of lack of available spares.[6]
 United Kingdom
Royal Air Force
No. 1 Squadron RAF
re-equipped with Harrier GR.1s between July and October 1969 at RAF Wittering. It started to replace its first generation Harriers with Harrier GR.5s in 1988, discarding its last GR.3 on 31 March 1989.[7]
No. 3 Squadron RAF
formed at RAF Wildenrath with the Harrier GR.1A on 1 January 1971, moving to RAF Gütersloh in 1977. It re-equipped with Harrier GR.5s in 1989.[8]
No. 4 Squadron RAF
converted to Harriers at RAF Wittering in early 1970, moving to Wildenrath in Germany in June that year. It moved to RAF Gütersloh in January 1977 and replaced its GR.3s with Harrier GR.7s in 1990.[9]
No. 20 Squadron RAF
reformed at RAF Wittering in October 1970, moving to Wildenrath later that year. It disbanded in February 1977, with its aircraft being shared between the other two Germany based squadrons.[10]
No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit RAF
formed at Wittering from the Harrier Conversion Unit in October 1970.[11] No 233 OCU was assigned the numberplate 20(R) Squadron in 1992,[12] with the unit flying GR.3 until 1994[13] and the T.4 until 1996.[14]
No. 1417 Flight RAF
Deployed to the Central American nation of Belize from 1980 to 1993.[15]
No. 1453 Flight RAF
Deployed to Stanley, in the Falklands Islands from August 1983 to June 1985.[16]
Royal Navy
899 Naval Air Squadron
operated the Harrier T.4A and T.4N for training purposes for the Sea Harrier.[4]
 United States
United States Marine Corps
VMA-231
AV-8A/C Harrier. 1973–1985.[17]
VMA-513
AV-8A/C Harrier. 1971–1986.[18]
VMA-542
AV-8A/C Harrier. 1972–1986.[19]
VMAT-203
Training squadron, equipped with AV-8A and TAV-8A Harrier. 1975–1987.[20]

Sea Harrier operators

 India
Indian Navy - Sea Harrier F.52
Indian Naval Air Squadron 300
'White Tigers'
 United Kingdom
Fleet Air Arm – Sea Harrier FRS.1 and Sea Harrier F(A).2
800 Naval Air Squadron
disbanded 2006
801 Naval Air Squadron
disbanded 2006
809 Naval Air Squadron
disbanded 1982
899 Naval Air Squadron
disbanded 2006

AV-8B Harrier II operators

 Italy
Italian Navy
14 AV-8B Plus and 2 TAV-8B Harrier IIs in service as of December 2010.[21]
Gruppo Aerei Imbarcati - "The Wolves"
 Spain
Spanish Navy
16 EAV-8B Plus and 1 TAV-8B aircraft operational as of December 2010.[21]
09th Squadron
 United States
United States Marine Corps
126 AV-8B Plus and 16 TAV-8B Harrier IIs in operation as of December 2010.[21]
VMA-211
VMA-214
VMA-223
VMA-231
VMA-311
VMA-513
VMA-542
VMAT-203
VX-31
VX-9

BAE Systems Harrier II operators

 United Kingdom
Royal Air Force
(1989–2011) – BAE Systems Harrier II GR.5 / GR.5a / GR.7 / GR.7a / GR.9 / GR.9a / T.10 / T.12
No. 1 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron (until 2006)
No. 4 Squadron
No. 20 Squadron (until 2010)
RAF Strike Attack Operational Evaluation Unit
Royal Navy - Fleet Air Arm
BAE Systems Harrier II GR.7 / GR.7a / GR.9 / GR.9a
800 Naval Air Squadron (2006–2007, 2010)
Naval Strike Wing (2007–2010)

See also

Royal Air Force portal
Aviation portal
Royal Navy portal
British aircraft since World War II portal
Aviation portal
United States Marine Corps portal
Aviation portal
Royal Air Force portal
Royal Navy portal
Aviation portal
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References

Notes
Citations
  1. ^ Mason 1991, pp. 421–432.
  2. ^ a b Mason 1991, pp. 419–420.
  3. ^ a b c d e Evans, Andy (1998). BAE / McDonnell Douglas Harrier. Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-105-5. 
  4. ^ a b Sturtivant 2004, pp. 80–90.
  5. ^ a b Nordeen, Lon O. (2006). Harrier II: validating V/STOL. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-591-14536-8. 
  6. ^ Carpenter 2000, p. 302.
  7. ^ Jackson 1991, pp. 89–90.
  8. ^ Jackson 1991, p. 90.
  9. ^ Jackson 1991, p. 91.
  10. ^ Jackson 1991, p. 92.
  11. ^ Jackson 1991, p. 89.
  12. ^ "20 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  13. ^ Evans 1998, p. 37.
  14. ^ Evans 1998, p. 31.
  15. ^ Sturtivant 2007, p. 122.
  16. ^ Sturtivant 2007, p. 123.
  17. ^ Jackson 1991, pp. 99–100.
  18. ^ Jackson 1991, p. 98.
  19. ^ Jackson 1991, p. 99.
  20. ^ Jackson 1991, p. 100.
  21. ^ a b c "Directory: World Air Forces". Flight International, 14–20 December 2010. pp. 19, 25, 29.
Bibliography

Further reading

External links