McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft. The aircraft was designed in the late 1970s as an Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier. It is primarily employed on light attack or multi-role missions, ranging from close air support of ground troops to armed reconnaissance.
About McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II in brief
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft. The aircraft was designed in the late 1970s as an Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier. It is primarily employed on light attack or multi-role missions, ranging from close air support of ground troops to armed reconnaissance. It made its maiden flight in November 1981 and entered service with the USMC in January 1985. It has also served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan since 2001, the Iraq War since 2003, and was used in Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya in 2011. Approximately 340 aircraft were produced in a 22-year production program that ended in 2003. USMC and Italian Navy AV- 8Bs are to be replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-35B, with the former expected to operate its Harriers until 2025. It was named one of several important weapons in the Gulf War by U.S. Army General Norman Schwarzkopf. Italian and Spanish HarrierIIs have taken part in overseas conflicts in conjunction with NATO coalitions, including the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A variant of the AV-7B, the British Aerospace Harrier, was developed for the British military, while another, the TAV-8b, is a dedicated two-seat trainer. It’s used by the United States Marine Corps, the Spanish Navy, and the Italian Navy. It also serves as a training aircraft for the Italian Air Force and the Spanish Air Force.
The AV-6A Harrier is used as a trainer for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAF) and the Australian Army (A.A.E). It is also used by Australia’s Royal Air Force, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and the Royal Canadian Air Force for training purposes. It served in the Falklands War and has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. It will be replaced with the F/A-18 Super Hornet, which is expected to enter service in 2015. It had a high accident rate, related to the percentage of time spent in critical take-off and landing phases. Its range, payload and range, therefore, was therefore unofficially named AV-16 and was therefore double the AV8’s payload andRange, therefore it was therefore named AV16-16. The Harrier III was also studied, but not pursued, as an enlarged version of the Harrier was also planned. The project that eventually led to its creation was aimed at addressing the operational inadequacies of the first-generation Harrier in the early 1970s. Early efforts concentrated on an improved Pegasus engine, designated the Pegasus 15, which was being tested by Bristol Siddely. The UK abandoned the project in 1975. The US and UK re-joined the improved Harrier project as a partner in 1981, giving it a significant work-share in the project. It later became known as the McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Harrier Harrier II.
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