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Discusses the history and development of the Harrier jet fighter plane, its design and function as well as some of the missions it has been on.
Explores the engineering challenges behind building fighter jets, as well as the creative solutions found to overcome those challenges. Accessible text, vibrant photos, and an engineering activity for readers provide a well-rounded introduction to the engineering process.
Learn about the men and women who engage enemy aircraft, fly over enemy territory, and operate complex weapons.
The 'Jump-jet' was the world's first vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL) operational jet aircraft. Developed using the revolutionary Pegasus engine, the Harrier has served the RAF and US Marine Corps well for over 30 years. Here, vividly told, is the fascinating story from tentative hovering by the Hawker P1127 in 1960 to today's frontline Harrier GR9 and AV-8B warplanes. A naval version, the Sea Harrier, entered service with the Royal Navy in 1979. Alongside the RAF Harrier it saw action in the Falklands War in 1982. More recently, Harriers have seen combat over Kosovo, Bosnia and Iraq. In the USA, a license-built version (the AV8-A/B) equips the US Marine Corps and is in service today in Iraq. Harriers also equip air forces in Spain and Thailand. This competitively priced, full colour hardback is packed with clear and accessible information and is the latest in a series including The Concorde Story and The Spitfire Story.
This volume chronicles the making of the Harrier Jump Jet—the innovative Cold War fighter aircraft designed to operate from virtually anywhere. In 1957, the British engine manufacturer Bristol Siddeley turned aircraft design on its head with the creation of the Pegasus engine. Until then, aircraft designs would seek out suitable engines. Now the Pegasus was an engine in search of a suitable aircraft. The result was the famous Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first military airplane capable of vertical takeoff and landings. To this day, Harrier Jump Jets are still in front-line service with air forces around the world including the Royal Air Force and US Marine Corps. In this volume, former Bristol Siddeley executive Andrew Dow offers an in-depth look at the Pegasus engine's original design concept, production and flight testing. Dow then covers the developments and improvements that have been made over the years. He also includes experiences of operational combat flying, both from land and sea. Written in straightforward prose that avoids technical jargon, Pegasus, The Heart of the Harrier is copiously illustrated with many previously unseen photographs and diagrams.
Mark A. Chambers charts the history and output of Hawker Aircraft Ltd from Sopwith onwards, through the Harrier's development, production, flight testing and operational and combat history, and also considers its future replacement, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
BAe Systems Sea Harrier is a naval jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. Primarily for air defense and operating from Royal Navy aircraft carriers, it was also used to launch ground attacks.
The British designed and built the Harrier, the most successful vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft ever made. Combining state-of-the-art fighter plane technology with a helicopter's ability to land vertically the Harrier has played an indispensable role for the RAF and Royal Navy in a number of conflicts, most famously the Falklands War. Jonathan Glancey's biography is a vividly enjoyable account of the invention of this remarkable aeroplane and a fitting tribute to the inspiration and determination of the men and women who created it, and the bravery of the men who flew it, often in the most dangerous conditions.
Harrier tells the story of the unique development of a practical V/STOL combat concept, from its first outrigger constrained hover to a very versatile ground-attack aircraft that could deliver multiple precision weapons in close support of ground troops, as well as air defense of naval assets. When first flown, the aircraft could barely carry enough fuel for more than a few minutes of hovering, but with the later US Marine Corps AV-8B Plus and RAF GR.9s, it could deliver over two tons of ordnance with great accuracy, day and night, in all weather conditions. The story of this aircraft, which introduced a whole new concept to air combat, covers the development of the V/STOL system into a practical asset, as well as its operational service in regional conflicts with both the USMC and RAF in Europe and the Middle East. It was also the Allied key aircraft in the Falklands Campaign with both RAF Harriers and FAA Sea Harriers. Harriers also served with the Indian, Spanish, and Italian navies. Harrier is illustrated with over 400 images, many of which are previously unpublished color and black and white photos, taken from the author's collection.
'Utterly brilliant: a fantastically exciting book... This really does read like the best kind of thriller. His best book yet' James Holland, author of Normandy '44 April 1982. Argentina invades the Falkland Islands. In response, Britain despatches a naval task force. Eight thousand miles from home, its fate hinges on just twenty Sea Harriers against the two hundred-strong might of the Argentine Air Force. The odds against them are overwhelming. The MoD's own estimates suggest that half the Harriers will be lost in the opening days of the conflict. They need backup. Within three weeks 809 Naval Air Squadron is reformed, trained and heading south, ready for war. Not since World War Two had so much been expected of such a small band of pilots.