Page 40 - History of War - Issue 10-14

ICON OF WAR

DETAILS

NAME Sea Harrier
YEAR 1978
ORIGIN UK
WINGSPAN 25 feet (7.6 metres)
he Sea Harrier is one of the most- LENGTH 46.5 feet (14 metres)
recognisable fi ghter aircraft of the 20th TOP SPEED 736mph (1184kmph)
TCentury, primarily because of its unique ENGINE 21,500lb dry thrust Rolls Royce
ability to take off vertically and even hover in Pegasus Mk 106 vectored-thrust turbofan
mid-air. Four rotating vectoring nozzles located
around the aircraft are connected to the plane’s
powerful Rolls-Royce engine, giving the pilot
the unique option to move the aircraft along its
vertical vector path.
The Harrier family of aircraft began
development in the 1960s, primarily as a
land-based V/STOL (vertical/short takeoff and
landing) aircraft. A prototype Sea Harrier, the

ACTIONINTHEFALKLANDS

When Argentina invaded the Falkland
Islands in 1982, 31 Sea Harriers were
dispatched along with the British Task
Force sent to reclaim the islands. They
entered action on 1 May, targeting
Argentine positions at Port Stanley and
engaging Argentine aircraft in air-to-air
combat. Despite being much slower
DUAL SIDEWINDER The BAE Sea Harrier was a vital component
MISSILES than their opponents, the Sea Harriers of the British Task Force in the Falklands
suffered no air-to-air casualties and confl ict of the 1980s
claimed 20 confi rmed during the war.

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