McDONNELL DOUGLAS AV-8 HARRIER

AV-8 SERVICE

Origins: Developed from the British built Hawker Siddeley Harrier
built by the following manufacturers:
Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd., (became BAe in 1977),
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England
403 as the Harrier, 18 variants, 1960 - 1995, ff: 21/10/1960
102 as the Sea Harrier, 4 variants, 1978 - 1998, ff: 30/12/1978.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., McDonnell Aircraft Co. Division, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
320 as the AV-8, 1981 - 1997, ff: 05/11/1981.
Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Corp., McDonnell Aircraft Co. Division, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
(In 1997, became The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, USA)
Model: P.1127
Designations: A-8 (AV-8); V-6, V-16 (AV-16), VZ-12
Names: Harrier; Harrier II (AV-8B); Kestrel (XV-6A), Matador (Spain)
First official flight: (AV-8A) 20/11/1970
(AV-8B) 05/11/1981
Factory production period: 1970 - 1980 (AV-8A)
1981 - 1997 (AV-8B)
Primary service period: 1971 - present
Last official flight: Still in service


Hawker Harrier GR.Mk. 3, RAF s/n: XS129 / c/n: 712188, on display.
 Ashburton Aviation Museum, New Zealand, 2012.

AV-8 VARIANTS

1964 Foreign built - England:
Model P.1127 		XV-6A 9 Total: 009
         
1970 Model: ? AV-8A 102  
1975 Model: ? TAV-8A 8 Total: 110
         
1976 Model: ? AV-8S 11  
1976 Model: ? TAV-8S 2 Total: 013

Grand Total: 132

1981 Model: ? AV-8B 275  
1986 Model: ? TAV-8B 25 Total: 300
         
1987 Model: ? EAV-8B 20 Total: 020

Grand Total: 320

GRAND TOTAL: 452

AV-8 PRODUCTION

Foreign built - England:
 XV-6A Kestrel
British prototype, single-engined, VTOL fighter 
delivered for USAF evaluation in 1966.
2 earlier prototypes, (s/n: 62-4507, 62-4508),
designated as VZ-12A were not delivered.
British designation: Kestrel FGA.Mk. 1.
Produced 1963 - 1965
Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd.,
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England (HS)

(RAF) XS688 / XS696 ? 9 Total: 009
Delivered to the USAF as:
64-18262 / 64-18270
- Last 2 deliveries were cancelled.

AV-8A
Single-engined, VTOL ground attack
fighter for USMC, based on the
RAF Harrier GR.Mk. 1.
British designation: Harrier Mk. 50.
Produced 1970 - 1976
Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd.,
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England (HS)

BuNo.158384 / 158395
- Built as (RAF) XW644 / XW655. 		1 / 12    
BuNo.158694 / 158711 13 / 30    
BuNo.158948 / 158977
- BuNo. 158969 built as (RAF) XY125. 		31 / 60    
BuNo.159230 / 159259 61 / 90    
BuNo.159366 / 159377 mixed 91 to 108 102 Total: 102

TAV-8A
2-seater trainer version for USMC,
based on the RAF Harrier T.Mk. 2.
British designation: Harrier Mk. 54.
Produced 1975 - 1976
Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd.,
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England (HS)

BuNo.159378 / 159385 mixed 1 to 10 8 Total: 008

AV-8S
As AV-8A, export version for Spanish
Navy via the US Navy.
British designation: Harrier Mk. 53 / 55.
Spanish designation: VA.1 Matador.
Produced 1975 - 1980
Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd.,
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England (HS)

BuNo.159557 / 159562 mixed 98 to 105    
BuNo.161174 / 161178 109 / 113 11 Total: 011
All delivered as:
(Spain) VA.1-1 / VA.1-10
- VA.1-5 crashed before delivery,
s/n re-issued to next airframe.

TAV-8S
As TAV-8A, export version for Spanish
Navy via the US Navy.
British designation: Harrier Mk. 58.
Spanish designation: VAE.1 Matador.
Produced 1975 - 1976
Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd.,
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England (HS)

BuNo.159563, 159564 5, 7 2 Total: 002
Delivered as:
(Spain) VAE.1-1, VAE.1-2

AV-16A Advanced Harrier - Proposed upgrade, cancelled.

Grand Total: 132

AV-8B Harrier II
As YAV-8B, redesigned cockpit, engine /
avionics upgrade, various improvements.
First 4 were service test airframes.
Also built as AV-8B(NA) Night Attack version,
originally designated as AV-8D.
Produced 1981 - 1997
McDonnell Douglas St. Louis, Missouri (MC)

BuNo.161396 / 161399 1 / 4    
BuNo.161573 / 161584 5 / 16    
BuNo.162068 / 162088 17 / 37    
BuNo.162721 / 162746 38 / 63    
BuNo.162942 / 162962 64 / 84    
BuNo.162964 / 162970 85 / 91    
BuNo.162972, 162973 92, 93    
BuNo.163176 / 163179 94 / 97    
BuNo.163181 / 163185 98 / 102    
BuNo.163187 / 163190 103 / 106    
BuNo.163192 / 163195 107 / 110    
BuNo.163197 / 163201 111 / 115    
BuNo.163203 / 163206 116 / 119    
BuNo.163419 / 163426 120 / 127    
BuNo.163514 / 163519 128 / 133    
BuNo.163659 / 163690 134 / 165    
BuNo.163852 / 163855 166 / 169    
BuNo.163862 / 163883 170 / 191    
BuNo.164115 / 164121 192 / 198    
BuNo.164123 / 164135 199 / 211    
BuNo.164139 / 164154 212 / 227    
BuNo.164543 / 164547 228 / 232 232  
55 additional airframes cancelled.

AV-8B+
1992, radar / night attack / engine upgrade.

BuNo.164548 / 164562 233 / 247    
BuNo.164563 / 164565
- 3 to Italy as MM7199 / MM7201. 		248 / 250    
BuNo.164566 / 164571 251 / 256    
BuNo.165001 / 165006 257 / 262    
BuNo.165007 / 165009
- 3 to Italy as MM7212 / MM7214. 		IT001 / IT003 33  

Foreign assembled - Italy:
Alenia Aerospazio, Rome, Italy

BuNo.165010 / 165019 IT004 / IT013 10 Total: 275
Delivered as:
(Italy) MM7215 / MM7224
8 additional airframes cancelled.

TAV-8B Harrier II
As AV-8B, 2-seater trainer.
Produced 1986 - 1992
McDonnell Douglas St. Louis, Missouri (MC)

BuNo.162747, 162963 T1, T2    
BuNo.162971, 163180 T3, T4    
BuNo.163186, 163191 T5, T6    
BuNo.163196, 163202 T7, T8    
BuNo.163207 T9    
BuNo.163856 / 163861 T10 / T15    
BuNo.164113, 164114 T16, T17    
BuNo.164122, 164138 T18, T21    
BuNo.164540 / 164542 T22 / T24    
BuNo.165036
- 1 to Spain as VAE.2-1. 		E21 23  

TAV-8B+
Radar / night attack / engine upgrade.

BuNo.164136, 164137
- 2 to Italy as MM55032, MM55033. 		T19, T20 2 Total: 025

EAV-8B
As AV-8B, export version for
Spanish Navy.
Spanish designation: VA.2 Matador II.
Produced 1987 - 1997
McDonnell Douglas St. Louis, Missouri (MC)

BuNo.163010 / 163021 E1 / E12 12  
Delivered as:
(Spain) VA.2-1 / VA.2-12

EAV-8B+
Radar / night attack / engine upgrade.

Foreign assembled - Spain:
Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (CASA),
Madrid, Spain

BuNo.165028 / 165035 E13 / E20 8 Total: 020
Delivered as:
(Spain) VA.2-14 / VA.2-21

 

Grand Total: 320

AV-8 CONVERSIONS

USMC

YAV-8B 2 AV-8A(158394, 158395), 1978, prototypes to the AV-8B Harrier II,
structural improvements, engine upgrade.
AV-8B+(R) 74 AV-8B, 1993-present, remanufactured airframes with major systems
upgrades, engine upgrade. First 8 from McDonnell Douglas Corp. 
with the rest from The Boeing Co.
New s/n:                        New c/n:
BuNo. 165305 / 165312   263 / 270
BuNo. 165354 / 165357   B271 / B274
BuNo. 165380 / 165391   B275 / B286
BuNo. 165397, 165398    B287, B288
BuNo. 165417 / 165430   B289 / B302
BuNo. 165566 / 165597   B303 / B334
BuNo. 166287, 166288    B335, B336
17 additional conversions cancelled.
AV-8C 47 AV-8A, 1979, life-extension program, various avionics upgrades.

FOREIGN MILITARY SERVICE
 - British new-built Harrier's with the RAF (271), USMC (119) and Spain (13).
 - British new-built Sea Harrier's with the RN (75) and India (27).
 - US new-built Harrier's with the USMC (281), Italy (18) and Spain (21).
 - Surplus AV-8A's in service with Thailand for a short time.

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