A tribute to the BAe Sea Harrier
Early history
With the cancellation of the planned CVA-01 class aircraft carriers in 1966, fixed-wing carrier aviation in the Royal Navy appeared to be coming to an end - ironically, the emergence of a design for "through deck cruisers" in the early 1970's - the Invincible class aircraft carriers - brought about a revolution, with the operation of STOVL jets.
Following the 1969 entry into RAF service of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1, 34 Sea Harrier FRS.1s were ordered for the Navy, entering service in 1978. A total of 57 FRS.1s were delivered between 1978 and 1988.
Substantially similar to the Harrier GR.3, the FRS.1 was fitted with a significantly raised bubble canopy cockpit to improve visibility for the air defence role, and Ferranti Blue Fox radar, requiring an extended forward fuselage. The aircraft also received higher spec alloys to cope with naval life.
Service with the Indian Navy
Twenty-three Sea Harrier FRS.51s were delivered to the Indian Navy in 1983 - apart from the incorporation of Matra R550 'Magic' air-to-air missiles, they were identical to the Royal Navy items (for images click on the screen below).
A distinguished career
Their finest hour in Royal Navy service occured during the 1982 Falklands Campaign, flying from the aircraft carriers HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes. The Sea Harriers were to operate in their primary air defence role with a secondary role of ground attack, while the RAF Harrier GR.3 provided the principal ground attack force. Sea Harriers accounted for 21 enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat with no losses. During the intensive and difficult campaign, two FRS.1s were downed by ground fire and four were lost to accidents.
Although the Argentine Forces' Mirage III and Dagger jets were considerably faster, the Sea Harrier possessed far greater manoeuvrability and was equipped with AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles and the Blue Fox radar. Ultimately, the superior air-combat training of the British pilots won the day.
Both sides' aircraft were operating in adverse conditions. Due to fears partly aroused by the bombing of Port Stanley airport by a British Vulcan bomber, the Argentine aircraft had to be stationed at safe airfields on the Argentine mainland. As they lacked any in-flight refuelling capability, they were forced to operate at the limit of their range. The Sea Harriers also had limited fuel reserves due to the tactical decision to station the British carriers out of Exocet missile range and the dispersal of the fleet.
The result was that, although an Argentine aircraft could only allow five minutes over the islands to search and attack an objective and without any capable air-to-air missile, a Sea Harrier could stay near to 30 minutes waiting in the Argentine approach corridors.
Lessons of war
Lessons learned from the aircraft's performance in the Falklands lead to the requirement for an upgrade of the fleet, incorporating;
Approval for the upgrade to FRS.2 standard was given in 1984, with the first prototype flying in late 1988. A production contract for 29 upgraded aircraft was signed shortly afterwards and the Navy ordered an additional eighteen new-build FA2s in 1990 - at a unit cost of around £12 million apiece - and a further five upgradef airframes in 1994.
The FA2 adopted the Blue Vixen radar, then described as one of the most advanced pulse doppler radar systems in the world, forming the basis for development of the Eurofighter Typhoon's CAPTOR radar.
Weapons fit included the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, the first UK aircraft to be provided with this capability. The first aircraft was delivered on April 2, 1993 and the first operational deployment was in April 1994 as part of the UN force in Bosnia.
The final new-build Sea Harrier FA2 was delivered on January 18, 1999.
Retirement from Royal Navy Service
The MOD announced the early retirement of the Sea Harriers in 2002 as part of a cost-cutting measure and the aircraft was withdrawn from service in 2006. The last remaining aircraft (801 Squadron) were decommissioned on March 29, 2006. The Lockheed/BAE F-35 Lightening II which will replace the Sea Harrier will not enter service until 2012 at the earliest.
Although the youngest Sea Harrier only joined the Navy in 1999, the FA2 is almost all metal, unlike the largely composite RAF Harriers. Both the FA2 and GR7 suffer from deteriorating engine performance in 'hot and high' environments, restricting payloads in the Middle East for both take-offs and 'vertical' recoveries.
It is understood that several airframes have been retained at RNAS Culdrose for use by the School of Flight Deck Operations - theoretically, these could be regenerated if needed.
The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm will continue to share the other component of Joint Force Harrier, the Harrier GR7 and the upgraded Harrier GR9 with the RAF, with two front-line squadrons (800 NAS and 801 NAS) using the GR9. Current plans for the purchase of 150 F-35s will see the aircraft split between the two services and operated from HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince Charles, the new 65,000 tonne aircraft carriers.
An extended life in the Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is in the process of upgrading fifteen Sea Harriers, with Israel installing the Elta EL/M-2032 radar and the Rafael 'Derby' medium range air to air missile, extending their service life beyond 2012.
The Indian Navy has aquired from Russia the Kiev Class Aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which will enter service as INS Vikramaditya: and from the USA, the 16,900 tonne USS Trenton, which will enter service as the INS Jalashva carrying six H-3 Sea King maritime utility transport helicopters.
The Indian Navy has expressed interest in acquiring up to eight of the Royal Navy's retired Sea Harrier FA2s to maintain their operational Sea Harrier fleet. This currently consists of 16 Pegasus 104-powered Sea Harrier FRS.51s, six having been lost in accidents over the last quarter century.
If the deal goes through it will have to involve ongoing support from BAE Systems and Rolls Royce. The sale would almost certainly exclude the Sea Harrier FA2's Blue Vixen radar, the RWR and the AMRAAM capability, the latter requiring removal of certain US software.
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