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Why The RAF No Longer Flies The Legendary Harrier II Fighter Jet

In 2010, the U.K. government pulled the plug on the Harrier II not because it failed in combat -- far from it, as it had some incredible capabilities -- but because of cold economics. The Strategic ...
SlashGear

Why The Legendary Harrier II Jet Was Retired By The RAF

The Harrier's slick-sounding name is iconic even to those with just a passing familiarity with combat aircraft. It was the first operational VTOL jet aircraft, using a horizontally mounted turbofan ...
The Aviationist

15 Years Ago: Last Operational British Harrier Flights

On Dec. 15, 2010, sixteen Harriers took off from RAF Cottesmore for a farewell formation flight marking the end to 41 years of British Harrier operations. Originally scheduled to remain in service ...
The National Interest

A British General Tried (And Failed) To Save the Royal Air Force’s Harrier Jump Jets

Here’s What You Need to Know: A British general fought … and failed. The United Kingdom’s 2010 Strategic Defense and Security Review—a budget drill, really—imposed devastating cuts to what had been ...
Flightglobal

Flying the Sea Harrier: a test pilot's perspective

Royal Navy Cdr Nigel "Sharkey" Ward and the Royal Air Force's David Morgan gained their place in British military folklore by flying the navy's British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS1 fighter with ...