MC3 Gabriel S. Weber
av-8b-harrier-aircraft
The Harrier made its final flight with the British RAF last week, marking one end to the jet famous for being able to take off and land vertically. The jet's recently declassified flight manual shows just how extraordinary it is.
The original Hawker Harrier Jet was designed by the British in the 1960s and utilized a "vectored thrust turbofan engine" that allowed thrust generated by the engines to be pointed downward. The first planes were launched using ramps that curved upward like a ski jump on the flight deck.
In 1982, the Harrier concept first saw major active duty as the Sea Harrier in the Falklands Island War. Though not as fast as the French/Israeli Mirage III and Dagger jets Argentina deployed, the maneuverability and advanced weapons allowed the Harriers to [kill 28 percent of the Argentine fighters](http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1984/mar-apr/duffner.html) without losing a single plane in air-to-air combat.
Following its success in the Balkan and Gulf conflicts, BAE and McDonnell Douglas improved the aircraft, which became the the GR5/7/9 in Great Britain and AV-8B (pictured above) in the United States. The [final British Harrier II active duty flight](http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/16/3095120.htm?section=world) occurred last week, though the American version is still flying and other nations continue using the incredible jet.
This guide to the American AV-8B demonstrates both the complexity and the awesomeness of the Harrier. We've edited down the 714-page document to the best diagrams and most interesting segments.
__Above__: U.S. Navy crew members push an AV-8B Harrier aircraft onto an aircraft elevator aboard the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) on April 29, 2008. *Photo: Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel S. Weber / U.S. Navy*
[](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/?attachment_id=37727)This story was written by [Matt Hardigree](http://jalopnik.com/people/Matt_Hardigree/posts/) and originally [published by Jalopnik](http://jalopnik.com/5715336/how-to-fly-the-harrier-jump-jet/gallery/?skyline=true&s=i) on Dec. 20, 2010.
Yes, we know the pics are a wee bit small. Download a ZIP containing the full-size docs [here](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/dangerroom/2010/12/Harrier.zip).
MC3 Gabriel S. Weber01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
Photo: Peter McCollough/Wired14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Photo: Jon Phillips/Wired27
28
29
30
31
