AV-8B Harrier II



The Hawker AV-8A/B I/II Harrier was a Vertical Take-Off/Landing aircraft first developed by Great Britain in the 1970s and used with great success during the Falklands War. The Harrier still holds the reputation as being the world's first truly successful VTOL jet aircraft. The US Marine Corps later bought several Harriers that were eventually designated as the AV-8A, and further refined the design for their use.

The current McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is the Marine Corps version of the venerable Harrier, and like its predecessor, it is used primarily as a ground-attack aircraft, though Marine forces can also use it for close air support and combat air patrols. The Harrier has only one jet engine; the aircraft redirects jet thrust through four maneuvering nozzles alongside the main body. This simple but effective design was what allows the Harrier to hover and even maneuver more effectively than conventional fighters. This is also the reason why the Harrier does not use the traditional 'tricycle' style landing gear of other aircraft; instead, the Harrier has a nose wheel, a central main wheel, and two balancer wheels mounted on the wings, without which the aircraft would topple over on the ground.

The fact that it only requires one engine also makes it far cheaper than other (failed) VTOL aircraft projects, but the Harrier is still costly in terms of fuel. This is why the Marines only use the AV-8B's VTOL capabilities in emergency conditions. More often than not, the Harrier employs STOL, not quite hovering takeoff, but it requires only a quarter of the distance needed for conventional planes. This saves both on fuel and airfield space.

The current version of the Harrier is the AV-8B Harrier II Plus (+). Distinguishing it from previous models is the APG-65 radar, also used on the F/A-18 Hornet Fighter/Attack plane, giving it even greater flexibility, and the new Rolls-Royce F402-44-408, a more powerful engine than the previous F402-RR-406 granting 2000 lbs more thrust. The version featured in MGS2 is a TAV-8B Harrier II, a training model.

Appearance in MGS2
On the Big Shell there is a Harrier on the heliport. It is used by the terrorists to shoot down the helicopters used by the SEALS. Later on Raiden found C4 attached to the landing gear of The Harrier. When he returned to the heliport to face Fatman it had left. After destroying the control sensors for the IR beams that acted as a trigger for the planted Semtex on the Shell 1-2 Connecting Bridge, Raiden was attacked by the Harrier and forced to shoot it down with Stinger missiles. It was then caught in the jaws of a RAY unit and dragged underwater by RAY (presumably to be taken back to Arsenal Gear)

Weapons:

 * The AMRAAM missile was originally designed to replace the AIM-7 Sparrow as a mid-range Air-to-Air combat missile on existing fighters. The Sparrow was a semi-active radar homing missile, which meant that an aircraft had to maintain a constant lock on an enemy target in order to hit. The AMRAAM is built on the AIM-7's existing frame, but it is much longer, and now has its own built-in radar system, effectively making the missile a fire-and-forget weapon capable of homing in on a target without assistance. AFAIK, the Marine Corps Harrier does not normally mount the AIM-7 or the AMRAAM, however, British Harriers do.


 * The Air-to-Air missile normally carried by the Marine Corps Harrier is the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile (Not seen in MGS2). The Sidewinder is also a fire-and-forget weapon, only it locks onto an enemy aircraft's heat signature rather than use a radar. The AIM-9 is a short-range 'dogfighting' missile reserved for close-in air combat engagements and thus does not have the range of the Sparrow or AMRAAM missiles. Marine Corps Harriers normally carry four Sidewinders for combat air patrols.


 * The AGM-65 Maverick (Not seen in MGS2) is the same laser-guided 'Smart Bomb' used in the Persian Gulf conflict. It is a missile with a camera eye mounted in its nosecone, and is guided to its target by a laser designator illuminated either by the aircraft itself (thus making the plane vulnerable to ground attack while the missile reaches its target), or from another vehicle or person on the ground. Unlike aircraft, it's considerably more difficult to get a radar lock on a ground target, and IR-guided missiles work only if no other heat sources exist. Thus, most Air-to-Ground missiles have to be wire- guided or laser-guided to their target.


 * The Mk82 General Purpose Bomb (not seen in MGS2) is commonly found on US attack aircraft. It is a lightweight munition at 500 pounds, second smallest in the Mk80 family of iron or 'dumb' bombs first developed in the 1950's, and can be used for almost any ground-attack situation. The AIR version replaces the tailfin with a ballute (balloon-parachute) to slow down the bomb for specific missions, while the Snakeeye version of the Mk82 has a different tailfin--the Mk15 retarded or folding fin for high speed carry. Marine Corps Harriers normally carry six Mk82 bombs when in the air-to-ground function.


 * The cluster bomb seen in MGS2 is the CBU-59 APAM (Anti-Personnel, Anti-Material) or Rockeye II Cluster bomb. The weapon is actually a large outer shell filled with 717 BLU-77 bomblets that shower shrapnel over a large area. It was designed as an antipersonnel successor to the older Mk20 Rockeye cluster bomb, as the older Mk20 was designed for antitank use.


 * The LAU-3 Rocket Launcher is a cylindrical 7-round rocket launcher first used by US Air Force's F-5 Tiger. The launcher is currently used by the Marine Corps Harrier in the ground-attack configuration. The ammunition it is normally equipped with is the Hydra-70 unguided rocket, first developed in the 1940's as an air combat weapon prior to the adoption of guided missiles. The Hydra-70 rocket is now used in the air-to-ground role, and can mount a variety of different munitions from high explosive and mine delivery to flechette and illumination rounds.


 * The center pylon of the Harrier is commonly reserved for the GAU-12 Equaliser Gun Pod. This is a 6-Barrel 25mm Gatling Gun, similar to that of the M61 Vulcan autocannon; used for both ground attack and air combat, packing more punch than the 20mm guns normally found on Attack Helicopters or Fighter Aircraft. The Marine Corps Harrier uses the GAU-12 with Depleted Uranium rounds for more damaging armor penetration.