NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
The Harrier Jump Jet is a combined project of McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing, and BAE Systems.
The origins of the aircraft trace back to its predecessor's first hovering flight in October of 1960. Since then it has received numerous updates and improvements and is still serving today.
The idea for the Harrier Jump Jet was in response to the threat of an enemy quickly knocking out runways, rendering conventional aircraft useless. The answer was to develop a fighter aircraft that could take off and land without using long runways.
The aircraft utilizes a single engine for all of its maneuvering. The pilot can angle the engine exhaust nozzle downward for vertical flight or hovering and then rearward for conventional flight. Directional control jets in the nose, wings and tail of the Harrier allow for turning while hovering.
Harrier Jump Jets first entered service with the RAF in October of 1969. These aircraft were designated GR1. The United States designated their aircraft that first flew in the early 1970's as the AV-8A.
The aircraft currently used by the British are licensed American design aircraft, fitted to RAF requirements. These requirements include navigation and defensive systems, and additional missiles.
The latest Harrier Jump Jet has day/night/all weather flying capabilities. It is particularly suited to ground support missions with forward looking infrared equipment, and pilot night vision visors. It has more than double the payload capacity of earlier jump jets.
Harrier Jump Jets have seen action during the Falklands War, Operation Desert Storm, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
We received the following email: "The Harrier Jump Jet was actually entered into Marine Corps Aviation service in the early 1970's. It was flown out of Marine Corp Air Station Beaufort South Carolina (Marine Airgroup 32, VMA513) while I was stationed there as an aircraft structural mechanic from 1972 - 1975.
During my time at MCAS Beaufort a Harrier Jump Jet stalled while hovering, due to seagull ingestion, and fell into a swamp. The aircraft structure remained sound except for the left engine intake (and the engine!). The intake required extensive rebuilding which I was given the responsibility to complete. Great memories for me." - Henry Ward, Prospect, KY
There have been numerous attempts to built a RC Harrier Jump Jet that transitions from hover to forward flight. Thus far, we only know of one successful example.
In the picture immediately above is Bob Blackburn launching his rc Harrier Jump Jet. It is a profile model built from Dave Chinery plans. Power comes from a WeMoTec mini fan. All up weight is 47 oz.
The first picture below is of the Harrier Jump Jet rc built by Ewald Schister. It is 1/16 scale, powered with a Pegasus P-120 turbo fan.
It is rumored that Nitro Planes will soon have a rc Harrier Jump Jet EDF ARF for sale. However, we do not know if it will have the flight characteristics of the full scale airplane.
The next picture below is of the rc Harrier Jump Jet radio control airplane built by Mike Koskela. It is capable of hovering and forward flight. However, it can not transition from hover to forward flight. Mike uses gyros on all three axis to smooth the performance.
Skymaster Jets is still working on a rc Harrier Jump Jet prototype.
Along-RC has a rc Harrier Jump Jet RTF for sale. The ready to fly model has a 31" wingspan, a 49" length, and is made from foam. Its ducted fan unit is 70 mm and weight is about 23 oz. all-up. In its website video you can hear the motor glitching. The flight characteristics appear unsteady, as if the model is not
properly balanced, or is under powered. Also, it only flies as a conventional model, without jump jet abilities.
Radical Concepts R & D has a rc Harrier Jump Jet for sale that uses a O.S. 91 VF engine driving Kress fan units through four nozzles. It can take off and land vertically and hover. However, no mention is made about transition to forward flight and no model specifications are given. It is shown in the third picture below.
The final picture on this page is of the RC Harrier Jump Jet built by Eric Dainty. It is powered with a OS .91 engine driving a modified fan. All up weight is 9 1/2 lbs. We understand that it is capable of all of the same maneuvers as the actual Harrier Jump Jet including transitioning in flight from vertical to horizontal motion.
Please email us if you have additional information about the rc Harrier Jump Jet radio control airplanes on this page, or if you know of one we should include here.
Harrier Jump Jet
