Hawker Siddeley / BAe Harrier

Mawganmad mentioned the Harrier and it doing strike missions. Sorry to be pedantic but the Harrier was never a strike aircraft. Until 1998 and the end of the WE177 strike aircraft in the RAF were only those that could carry strike weapons ie nuclear weapons. Im not sure why Britain seems to be alone in NATO in using the term. Of course the Sea Harrier could carry the WE177 (and in fact the fleet set sail in April 82 with them on board) as of course did the Jaguar, and NATO was not keen on single seat aircraft carrying nuclear weapons.

And I have to ask if anyone knows the secret of the HarrierII mark numbers in service? It didnt seem to like using even numbers except for the two seaters!

Spookily enough - I am sorting/shredding my way through 30yrs of cr@p (documents/files etc) and what should surface - my Company Approval for off site working LOL : )

ZD320 was at that time officially a GR5 NA (Night Attack) - outwardly looking like a GR7 but she was the trials a/c for the night vision system !

There was programme on the "movies for men" channel yesterday about fast jets. It had film on from trial tussle at Tain in 81. The trial was Harriers doing live SNEB under the control of FAC using a laser marker. On the first day the FACs landrover blew up and caused one hell of a fire!

I trust that the FAC learned a lesson not to 'sparkle' your own vehicle to check the laser designator.

In fact there was no Harrier on the range when it happened, he wouldnt admit it but he was cooking (he and his signaller were living in a BandB so were on rates and couldnt use the mess at Tain) and the fumes from the petrol tank met the heat from the cooker.

Unfortunately the FAC and his signaller were killed a year later in a Sea King crash in the Falklands.