Goodbye to the Sea Harrier

[G7USL 117]

It is with great sadness that R.N.A.S. Yeovilton say's goodbye to the Sea Harrier.It's base since built and home to the famous 'flying bedstead' that is still on display within the Yeovilton museum.Why the M.O.D. has taken the descision to scrap it without a replacement is just ludicrous?Interested collector's, I'm told can buy one for around 8 million pounds.Dave T. .........On the Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/http://www.captainsim.com/user/dl/c130/c130_captain.gif

[Guest ThrottleUp]

Yes end of an era for sure. What a great little plane that was and it really showed its teeth in the Falklands.At least its children live on in the form of the American AV8B and the RAF GR5. I guess its replacement will be that JSF thingy? We'll just have to wait and see.

[mgh 89]

It makes me feel old too :( I was at Dunsfold in 1960 when Bill Bedford made the first tethered hover in the P1127.

[Guest]

>It is with great sadness that R.N.A.S. Yeovilton say's>goodbye to the Sea Harrier.>It is indeed.>Why the M.O.D. has taken the descision to scrap it without a>replacement is just ludicrous?>misguided political directives.Saves a bit of money and as "there is no more enemy" there's no need for national defense.Pretty much like the 1920s.Though under the original idea the CVS would have been operational with JSF by now so there'd be no more need for them.Of course the CVS is a decade or more late and several billion pounds over budget which could get it scrapped, and the UK has already threatened to pull out of the JSF program...

[Guest Peter Sidoli]

I have flown into Yeovilton a few times in the last year. The military personel there are very friendly and keen to have GA visiting.Yeovilton was in direct competition with RAF Shawbury as a Helicopter base.I was under the impression that the Harriers had been moved across to a fighter base in the North East?Peter

[G7USL 117]

Peter,The television News stated that some have been temporarily sent to R.A.F. Culdrose but, for how long?Dave T. .........On the Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/http://www.captainsim.com/user/dl/c130/c130_captain.gif

[Guest BryUK]

Can't say there's been such a thing as a GR5 for about 13 years or so. ;) They were all upgraded to GR7 (AV-8B Night Attack) standard by 1993, and most of them are now GR9's.The Sea Harrier's immediate "replacement" is the Harrier GR9.To put that in perspective, imagine the USAF retiring all its F-15's and replacing them with A-10's.The GR9's are a dedicated ground attack aircraft, whereas the Sea Harrier was a multi-role fighter with emphasis on Air-to-Air. Until the Typhoon started entering service, the Sea Harrier FA2's Blue Vixen radar was the finest in Europe. They were even used to plug gaps in AWACS coverage during the Kosovo conflict. As it happens, the Eurofighter Typhoons radar is infact a advanced development of the Sea Harrier FA2's Blue Vixen.By comparison, the GR9 doesn't even HAVE a air-to-air radar.Now, the Royal Navy simply does not have a aircraft capable of defending the fleet on its own without ground control to tell it where to intercept the enemy. And if it succeeds, it still has no radar and only Sidewinders to engage with.

[Guest]

Teh FA.2s have been stored there until they can be scrapped or sold, they're not in service.

[Guest jboweruk]

About par for the course for this (mis)government. Why don't they just sell England to the US or France and have done with it?