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 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 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 crewmembers 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
This story was written by Matt Hardigree and originally published by Jalopnik on Dec. 20, 2010.
Yes, we know the pics are a wee bit small. Download a ZIP containing the full-size docs here.
Authors: Jalopnik.com