Military Aircraft Videos

Harrier AV-8 in Iraq

The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a family of second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing or V/STOL jet multirole aircraft of the late 20th century. British Aerospace rejoined the project in the early 1980s, and it has been managed by Boeing/BAE Systems since the 1990s. Developed from the earlier Hawker Siddeley Harriers, it is primarily used for light attack or multi-role tasks, typically operated from small aircraft carriers. Versions are used by several NATO countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and the United States. The aircraft is known as the AV-8B Harrier II in United States Marine Corps service and the Harrier GR7/GR9 in British service. Though it shares the designation letter-number with the earlier AV-8A/C Harrier, the AV-8B Harrier II was extensively redesigned by McDonnell Douglas. The AV-8A was a previous-generation Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1A procured for the US Marine Corps. Both models are commonly referred to as the Harrier Jump-jet.