Kestrel, GR.1, GR.3, GR.5, GR.7, GR.9, T.2, T.4, T.10, T.12

by Andy Evans 

At its inception, this ‘peculiar British project’ was seen as eccentric, a novelty and treated with scepticism and viewed with disbelief. It was said that it would never be able to carry anything more useful than a `matchbox over a football field’ and could never expect to be taken seriously as a warplane. And yet, this aircraft matured into one of the world’s most potent, flexible and deadly all-round weapons platforms, combat-proven, a battle hardened and uber-equipped fighting machine with a unique ability, to take-off and land vertically or in a very, very short space and carry the war to an enemy from very close range. It needs no nickname, no acronym or resume, its name is synonymous with its capabilities. From the deserts of Iraq to the skies over Europe, from rough, unprepared landing strips to rolling carrier decks, the exceptional attributes of the world’s first ‘jump-jet’ are legendary. Despite of, and as a result of, many trials and tribulations this single-minded aircraft type has re-written to rule-book of modern aerial warfare, and the only one to bear the iconic name ‘Harrier’. In this new Red Series book, we delve into the concept of the Harrier I and II, and its service with the Royal Air Force, and for a short time as the GR.7/9 with the Royal Navy, looking at its development, its war roles and as the ‘Real to Replica’ title suggests there is also a section on how to model the RAF Harrier in popular scales, making this book an ideal source for both the enthusiast and scale modeller alike.

Does not include Sea Harrier.