About 25 years ago I used to live on a farm in the middle of the fens in Cambridgeshire, about 20 miles from RAF Wittering. One day I was in the yard when a Harrier came over so low directly over the farm it frightened the life out of me, it couldn't of been more than 40 feet, way lower than he should of been, I will never forget it.
Why why why why why did we ditch this aircraft?? I too was in love with it as a young lad and it was always my ambition to fly one. Such a shame we dont see them any more. A testiment to British design and creativity..... the idea of this first conceived in the 50's or 60's and in my opinion is still the most versatile aircraft in the world
I still can not believe that our MOD spent millions upgrading our harrier GR7's to GR9's then mothballed them all such a shame was and still is a brilliant aircraft.
@@allgood6760 Hi there, im not quite sure what we did with our harriers, i think we sold a few to the Americans for thier marine corps fleet, but dont quote me on that as i can not be sure.
Retired to early, especially in the RN. I can't believe the RN didn't have fixed wing jets for nearly 10 years. They should of had one squadron and one carrier as a stop-gap.
Used to love watching Harrier jump jets at Cosford Air show, especially when they used to dip their nose towards the crowds, government should never have scrapped them! thanks for posting it!
I was there on 3 July 2010. My last flying photo was at 17:01, and my last static shot was at 17:26. If it closed the show, I saw it as a small dot in the distance as we left the show. Thank you very much for the video to let me see and hear what I missed.
Why oh why don't we fly them anymore :(. I only have the chance to see the Harrier fly once and I fell in love with it only to find we have stopped flying them :(.
@StevenNFFC Well the Tornado and Jaguar are both ground attack aircraft so we only need the Tornado,and we have the Typhoon for air to air superiority. So we only need three types of aircraft,Typhoon (air superiority),Tornado(ground attack),and a carrier aircraft like the f-35 lightning 2.
@agibbs98 The Typhoon is a multi-role aircraft,the Tornado While intended primarily as a strike aircraft to be used against ground and sea targets, the aircraft has always had a limited air-to-air capability. One version of the Tornado however was designed with this role as it's primary function, this being the Tornado ADV (Air Defence Variant) or Tornado F.2 and Tornado F.3.The RAF uses the GR4 which a ground attack aircraft.A typhoon crashed like 2 years ago and they did not ground any planes.
Ron Shears: You're absolutely right - the final versions of the Harrier turned out so well because of years of continuous development by both the British (BAe & Rolls Royce) and later on the US (the plastic wing, etc. - McDonnell Douglas). The F-35B is having REAL problems - overly complicated, can't VIFF, and has no gun. It can't even supercruise!! It's "stealth" features are questionable (much less effective than the F-117) and it has a very short range (without air-air refueling).
I was lucky enough to have two back-seaters in T10s. One was in the bosses aircraft at RAF Leuchars as we were one of two bounce aircraft "attacking" a harrier student pilot on his final practical exam on one of the many phases of his training
I've got a great photo of a Harrier hitting the ground hard when I was at a display at RAF Leaming. He limped off and it was announced that his display had to be cut short because of airframe damage. I got the shot in just as he hit the ground and sucked up a load of soil. I bet he got his arse kicked when he got back to operations.
@TheLloydA1 In that case I agree, there are certainly more capable aircraft world-wide than the Harrier but I meant that withdrawing it from our air force would leave a huge gap in our air power capabilities that will only be filled, potentially, in 2019. I just find it a bit upsetting that only a few years ago the RAF could boast the Jaguar, Harrier, Tornado F3, GR4 and Typhoon in it's fast jet department and now we only have the Tornado GR4 and the Typhoon. A sad time!
Good enough to take on the Argentinian Air Force and pose enough of a threat to the "fast" jet mirages. Pissed on the Pucara. This aircraft more than served its purpose and although it was never called for in its true VSTOL role from fixed ground bases against the "Russian Threat", it did an admirable job in the Falklands, and my nan liked it. Sorted
@TheLloydA1 no the harrier gr5 was introduced in 1985, then the gr7s were introduced in the late 80s to early 90s, they were upgraded with brand new engines last year and new avionics, and as for being out classed, show me another plane that can stop dead in the air let the enemy fly past and shoot them down, take off from anywere pop up from no were, even so he did lie the harriers they scrapped were not old planes form the 60s, these are a totaly different airplane .
@StevenNFFC The Apache can do alot of what the harrier can do,but also the Apache has alot flaws low speed,cant take out enemy jets etc.By outclassed i really mean from other countrys carrier aircraft.Thats why there being replaced by the f-35 lightning when the two new super carriers are ready in 2019.I think the harriers should be kept in servive till 2019,so we have a carrier aircraft.
im a air cadet and a engineer from 49 sqn and he sead it wood cost £30m a year to run the harrier in lyiba and £40m to run the typhoon in lybia i now what i wood pick
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@robpeter1 Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Turkey. Combined, these foreign countries have contributed $4.4 billion in the aircraft’s creation. Of that amount, nearly half - $2 billion - has come from Britain.Its going threw extensive testing and has already landed on carriers It will be built.Yes the harriers should of stayed in service till the f-35 are ready.But to say the harrier was not outclassed is wrong.
@TheLloydA1 i think i made that clear, you cant compare them as they are far too different, and to a harrier fan it cant be outclassed i mean from a personal point of view, i.e. for me nothing could beat it as i love it so much, just a bit of love for an aircraft im a fan of, same as for me the best plane ever is the vulcan, and as for being disgusted at whats happened to our airfoce related to what the government is doing, and to the millitary in general is totaly awful,
@TheLloydA1 well of course its not the same as more modern planes but still very usefull and very formidable fighter, the new plane has not even been made or proven yet, and can we gurantee it will be made, after all the f22 has been or might be stopped. and id sooner them build planes here like we used to rather than buy off the shelf so that politicians can benafit through thier shares in us companies. you cant say the harrier 2 was retired at the right time, same with the nimrod crazy
Great British engineering again to the fore. Another world beater. Politicians again scrapping a plane with years of service left. But hold on!!! upgrade for a few hundred million, then flog 'em to the Americans. Now that makes sense to us all doesn't it.
david cameron said it was a very old airplane, the harrier gr1 gr3 and frs1 frs2 are but these are different they are the new build harriers and not old at all, these were built in teh late 80s onwards and only upgraded recently, liar he is
@robpeter1 no you did'nt,iam comparing aircraft and the harrier is outclassed and the f-35 can do everything it can but better.And if you mean sacking people to try and get us out of debt,well its bad yeah but it has to be done.
@TheLloydA1 true but to a harrier an it cant be out classed, and you cant really compare them there so different, be like comparing hunter with f22 they both fly they both do millitary jobs but thats it im just gutted at whats happened to our airforce its disgusting
The p1154 was a super sonic harrier engine and plane built in 60's . 6 engines were built I think with Mack 1.3 speed and dash if 1.8. That his good our aircraft industry was and no other country till now has done it without our help. The government withdrew funding in 65 and as consession the p1151 or kestrel subsonic plane, latter to be harrier was developed instead. We could have built supersonic vertical lift aircraft in 60's but didn't have political will. We gave French technology to get in Europeans union and they now have airbus because if us. Also we had blackbird rocket and most successful space agency but the government could not see how important getting satalites into orbit would be so would not fu d that and gave tech to French aerospace with rocket again and now they are one if the biggest launchers if satalites. We are fucking crazy but i f I had choice I would rather USA have our technology as we then get a share of the finished product at reduced price being our closest ally.
@robpeter1 Its not possible for the harrier to stop dead then get a lock on and then fire.Iam talking about carrier aircraft in which the harrier is now outclassed,Also the f-35 has a varient which uses a similar device to hover like the Harrier which is the varient which is replacing this.
@robpeter1 Iam not telling you what to say, iam simply saying dont be childish but you have obviously not taken that in.Yeah a person is equal to a politician obviously,but a politician has or should have a better understanding of what and why they are cutting down on people or machines etc.Look i answered iam such a bad and childish person haha
It was ditched due to the end of the cold war. It was designed to fight the russians on the german border by popping up on short fields. It was never a very good war fighting machine looks sexy as hell but otherwise not very good for war. Part aircraft part helicopter, not the best at either.
@TheLloydA1 stop telling me what to think, your condesending tone is not appreciated, a politician is equal to a citizen as any citizen can become a politician thats part of democracy, unlike some who just belives everything there told to think, i can form my own opinions and i will do without your instruction, now please leave me alone though i know you wont as you are obviously one of the people in the world who always has to retort, so ill let youget your kick from your last mighty words bye
@robpeter1 Stop being so childish,The cuts are necessary unfortunate but necessary.If you were a politician it would mean something as your not it has no worth.
@TheLloydA1 well go ahead compare them, i hope itsfun for you, as for the cut back they are not neccercerry, in the 1950s we had a bigger deficit and didnt but back then, all the countrys that are cutting are not getting better they are getting worse, the countries that have invested are booming again, its easy to fall for the right wing media but the problem is the global bank was responsible for the crash, and now the global bank is responsible for whats happening now to save thier own money,
