Last flight of a Harrier GR9 jump jet from HMS Ark Royal2 symbols of British might to be scrapped.Sad to see, who'd of ever thought this day would come.

I didn't realize....That's the end of an era. At least the GR-9 is still flying.

A surprise really, I remember reading a while back about a new Harrier Strike Force that was comprised of RAF and RAN units that were based on the Ark Royal, but as many decisions are made when considering a fiscal budget there are always casualties.

At least the GR-9 is still flying.

The Harrier GR9 is the only model of the Harrier left in British service and will be retired next year.The GR7 was phased out earlier this year in favour of the GR9. The Sea Harrier was retired way back in 2006.

I remember reading a while back about a new Harrier Strike Force that was comprised of RAF and RAN units that were based on the Ark Royal

"Joint Force Harrier" has been operational for some years now, comprising a pool of both Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircraft and personnel operating the Harrier GR7 and GR9. They have most recently seen action in Afghanistan, providing sterling service in the close air support role for NATO ground forces.Unfortunately the previous government of the UK engaged in a spending binge during its 13 years in power and racked up a massive defecit. The new government is making large cuts across the board and defence is taking a very big hit. The last government, and indeed this one also engaged in the practice of playing the three services off against eachother - divide and rule. Tell them cuts have to be made and then sit back and watch as the respective generals, admirals and air marshals tear strips off eachother and fight amongst themselves for the shrinking budget. The Royal Air Force was told it must consolidate down to just two types of fast jet. The Typhoon will obviouslly stay in service, so the choice was between the Tornado or the Harrier. A very tough decision was made to retire the Harrier early (along with HMS Ark Royal and several other very important naval vessels) as the RAF brass felt the Tornado was a more capable strike platform going into the future. Other cuts being forced on the RAF are cancellation of the brand new Nimrod MRA4 just as it is on the cusp of entering service, retirement of the entire Hercules fleet, as well as the new Sentinel R1.The reality is the UK Government pays more in interest on the national debt each year than it does on defence.I work in the naval community, but have a great many friends and acquaintances in the air force and army world too, and these cuts have caused massive damage to morale in the UK Armed Forces, just as we are fighting a war in Afghanistan. Pretty dark days for everyone in the UK Armed Forces.

The P1127 - the Harrier dfevelopment airctaft - made its first free hover on 19 November 1960. That's almost 50 years to the day the Harriers left Ark Royal.The Harrier was the last in a long line of distinguished fighter aircraft designed and bulit in Kingston upon Thames by Sopwiths and Hawkers. These include the Pup and Camel during world War 1. Between the wars, The company built a line of fighters for the RAFline , including the elegant Fury biplane. This culminated in the Hurricane which destroyed more enemy aircraft in the Batlle of Britain than all other forms of defence combined. During World War 2, Hawkers developed the Typhoon, tempest, Fury and Sea Fury fighter. The latter are still raced. After the war came the Sea Hawk for the Royal Navy, the Hunter, and finally the Harrier.Sir Sidney Camm was Hawker's Chief Designer from 1925 until his death in 1966 - that's 41 years in post, which I think is probably unsurpassed. The first aircraft he designed for Hawker's was the Cygnet in 1924. This was a two-seat light aircraft with an empty weight of 373 lb, a 32 hp engine with a top speed of just over 80 mph. His last was, of course, the Harrier.

the Pup and Camel

The Camel was the most successful fighter aircraft of the Great War, shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other type, one of the truly great designs. The Pup was it's direct ancestor.

the Hurricane which destroyed more enemy aircraft in the Batlle of Britain than all other forms of defence combined

I've seen it written in a couple of places that the Hurricane shot down more aircraft than any other Allied fighter during the war. I've yet to find a proper source for this and I'm a little bit sceptical. However, it's service record is second to none, and its simple design, rugged construction and stability as a gun platform were exactly what was needed in 1940. Although it was outclassed as a fighter by the end of 1940 it still went on to do sterling service in North Africa and the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Eastern Front and the Far East.

the Typhoon

A failure as an interceptor but turned into probably the most formidable Allied single engine fighter bomber of the war. It was Eisenhower himself who said "The chief credit in smashing the enemy's spearhead, however, must go to the rocket-firing Typhoon aircraft of the Second Tactical Air Force. The result of the strafing was that the enemy attack was effectively brought to a halt, and a threat was turned into a great victory." when talking about the grave threat posed by German armour to the American breakout from the Normandy beach head.

tempest

What the Typhoon should have been - one of the finest fighters of the war, and certainly the best low level interceptor. Regarded by some Me262 pilots as their most dangerous opponent.

Fury and Sea Fury

The final members of the Typhoon lineage, and probably the ultimate expression of the piston engine fighter. The Sea Fury was the first type to shoot down a MiG-15 during the Korean War.

Sea Hawk

Found its niche as a very successful and effective ground attack aircraft in the 1950's.

the Hunter

The backbone of the RAF fighter fleet from the late 50's through to the mid 60's, and then went on to become the backbone of the RAF's ground attack jet fleet until the 1970's.....Indeed the Harrier is from a truly illustrious line.People often don't realise the Harrier was never supposed to have been built - the P1127 from which the Harrier was directly descended was merely a proof of concept aircraft. The "real" Harrier was supposed to have been the supersonic P1154 which was cancelled.Likwise mose people forget the significance of the Harrier's role and capability - it would have been the ONLY aeroplane in the skies on Day 2 of WW3.

I've seen it written in a couple of places that the Hurricane shot down more aircraft than any other Allied fighter during the war. I've yet to find a proper source for this and I'm a little bit sceptical.

I limited my statement to the Battle of Britain only. At its start there were 32 Hurricane squadrons and only 19 Spitfire squadrons in RAF service. In the Battle of Britain, Hurricanes scored the highest number of RAF victories, accounting for 1,593 out of the 2,739 total claimed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/battle-of-britain/7851030/Battle-of-Britain-without-the-hurricane-the-battle-would-have-been-lost.html