Harrier attack fighter-bomber is an aircraft that is made in Britain. It is distinguished by excellent characteristics, the possibility of vertical take-off and landing, as well as structural transformations. The first flight on this unit was made in the distant nineteen sixtieth year. For many years it has been used in the armies of the USA, Spain, Thailand, and Great Britain. The aircraft is constantly being improved, has several modifications.
GR-1 Series: Description
In fact, the Harrier is an airplane that for the first time in aviation history was able to complete vertical take-off and landing. The first prototype took to the air in the fall of 1960. Serial production began seven years later. In nineteen sixty-nine, the first British Air Force squadron was formed, consisting of twenty-one units of the aircraft in question.
The main purpose of the aircraft of this series is to support the ground forces. This is due to high maneuverability and the ability to operate in various climatic regions. The height range to which the unit is oriented is from three to fourteen thousand kilometers. The design uses materials from aluminum, titanium and magnesium alloys. In addition, some parts of the body and components are made of composite components and high-strength steel.
Equipment
Harrier GR-1 combat aircraft is equipped with a riveted fuselage with a pair of technological connectors. The bow includes the cockpit. Its rear line passes along the inclined rib, which serves to install the ejection seat. Power and related components are located in the central fuselage compartment. There are two fuel tanks in the front, each of which holds two hundred and thirty liters of fuel.
Above the main rack there is another tank with a capacity of four hundred seventy-three liters. Between the nozzles installed 177-liter tanks, and under the caisson part of the wing - 785 liters. It is possible to install additional tanks, guaranteeing long flights without refueling.
Features
The aircraft in question is one of the most popular aircraft operated by the US Air Force. The Marines use it to cover and jointly assault alleged targets. The fighter in the central fuselage section is equipped with nose landing gear. The front element is controlled by a pair of hydraulic cylinders, providing a turn of forty-five degrees. The control unit is located in the rear fuselage compartment.
The integral rotary plumage and keel are made in the form of a standard horizontal design. The steering wheel has a honeycomb filler; it extends in flight by a correction angle of up to sixty-six degrees. The wing of the continuous type aircraft to the fuselage is fixed in six places. In addition, each wing has four points designed to install pylons for military weapons or additional fuel tanks.
Engine and related components
Harrier GR-1 US military fighter jets are equipped with a Rolls Roys Bristol turbine propulsion system. It is attached in four places to the frames of the central fuselage. The nozzles are rotated by means of a pneumatic motor. Changing the braking and take-off indicator of the thrust vector is the possibility of changing the position in flight by no less than ninety degrees.
Correction of the aircraft in space is as follows:
- operating four compressors, aggregating with an air duct in the bow and tail;
- three nozzles, which are located in the rear beam and serve as a tonnage control;
- a pair of exhaust elements designed to control the channel.
The reactive inclusion system is activated during vertical take-off and landing in flight mode at low speeds (motor nozzles translate into twenty or more degrees).
Specifications
"Harrier" - a combat aircraft in the first series has the following parameters:
- year of manufacture - 1969;
- wingspan / wing area - 7700/1868 meters;
- length / height - 13.87, 3.43 meters;
- weight - five and a half tons;
- ultimate take-off weight - 11, 34 tons;
- engine - Pegasus Mk-101 with a thrust of 8160 kg / s;
- speed indicators (cruising / maximum value) - 1185/1360 kilometers per hour;
- flight resource without refueling - 3700 km;
- combat radius - one thousand two hundred kilometers;
- crew - one pilot;
- load in battle (maximum) - 2270.
Harrier fighter-bomber is equipped with five suspension units, which are equipped with standard weapons. It refers to:
- thirty-millimeter gun "Aden";
- two guided missiles AIM-9D;
- similar air-to-ground shells;
- bomb cassettes, incendiary analogues, 450 kg bombs;
- other ammunition interchangeable with the named devices
In addition, the aircraft can be equipped with Type launchers, weapons such as NUR or a unit with a reconnaissance system.
Harrier GR-3 Overview
Multipurpose fighter differs from its predecessor in an improved engine. Its take-off thrust is within 9753 kilograms. The fuselage remained virtually unchanged. Fuel consumption for all classes of the aircraft in question is quite large, which is typical for similar aircraft with vertical take-off.
The standard equipment of the jet machine includes a refueling system in the air, a laser range finder, and frontal sensors. The features of the fighter include the following:
- in service - a pair of thirty-millimeter Aden cannons located under the fuselage;
- the possibility of installing jet munitions "Matra";
- Ferranti sighting and attachment equipment ";
- equipping with radio stations with the reception of various waves.
In the United States, the Marines were manned by the aircraft in question since nineteen hundred and seventy. In addition, the airborne squadrons of Great Britain and Germany mastered this device. In mass production, the machines stayed for about two decades.
TTX of the GR-3
Consider the tactical and technical parameters of an attack fighter:
- year of adoption - 1970;
- height / length - 3, 45 / 13.87 meters;
- wing (wingspan / area) - 7.7 m / 18.68 sq. m;
- maximum take-off weight - eleven and a half tons;
- combat load - 2300/3600 kg;
- domestic fuel (mass) - 2.29 tons.
Harrier GR-3 combat aircraft is capable of accelerating over one thousand three hundred kilometers per hour, with a practical range of 3425 km. The crew still includes one pilot, the possibility of combat defeat is five hundred and twenty kilometers.
GR-5 Series
In the nineteen eighty-ninth year, the British Air Force replenished fifth-generation Harrier fighters. The main difference from the previous modification was the increased combat load and range. The aircraft is designed for reconnaissance over the air and direct assistance to ground forces. The vertical take-off and landing remained unchanged, as did the overall structure of the machine.
The device is a freestanding monoplane, which is equipped with wings with a high placement, a bicycle chassis, a single-tail tail trim. When creating this model, composite materials were actively used. The non-separable wing has a profile thickened and resistant to critical loads. Increased wing span and its area. These elements aggregate with drooping ailerons, which deviate according to the position of the nozzles.
Structural changes
US and British fighters in this series have an advanced wing design that increases frontal air resistance and reduces the maximum speed of the aircraft. However, this disadvantage is compensated for by changing the elements associated with the fuselage and the arrangement of air intakes.
The main external parts are made of graphite, epoxy, aluminum alloys. The protection under the fuselage and the plane in front of the windshield have a titanium base. Between the racks of the chassis there is a place for mounting a special box, which consists of a transverse transforming shield, longitudinal fixed ridges. It serves as a takeoff exhaust reflector. This solution allowed to increase the lifting force by almost half a ton. The cockpit of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier aircraft is designed for one pilot, has an air conditioning system, a high seating position and a searchlight.
Fuel and engine system
The considered modification is equipped with a turbine reactive power unit, which has the option of changing the direction of the traction vector. The maximum static thrust is 9870 kg / s. There is a four-second interruptor for engine operation in the case of a vertical landing at elevated temperatures. The on-board oxygen system, flight control unit, and pressurization are aggregated with a compressed air compressor.
Harrier US and British fighters have a fuel block that differs little from its predecessor. By increasing the capacity of tanks, tanks can accommodate up to four thousand liters each. Also, the model under consideration provides for additional provision of fuel in the air and the possibility of installing additional suspension tanks.
The technical side of the aircraft GR-5
The fighter is equipped with a pair of twenty-five-millimeter caliber Aden cannon cannons (the ammunition includes two hundred charges). The remaining weapons are located at several points of the suspension. The kit may include bombs and missiles of various types.
Specifications:
- commissioning - one thousand nine hundred and eighty-seventh year;
- wing parameters - wingspan (9.25 m) / area (21.37 sq. m);
- length / height - 14.1 / 3.5 meters;
- maximum combat load - four tons;
- empty aircraft weight - 6.25 tons;
- combat radius - five hundred meters;
- top speed - 1150 kilometers per hour;
- practical range - 3 825 km.
Training aircraft of this brand have similar characteristics, with the exception of the full combat kit.
Modification GR-7
"Harrier-2" under the index GR-7 is the most common model that is part of the armed forces of great Britain. The machine is manufactured jointly by English and American companies.
Technical parameters of the aircraft:
- length / height - 14.53 / 3.55 meters;
- wingspan / wing area - 9.25 m / 21.37 sq. m;
- engines - Rolls-Royce-Pegasus Mk-105;
- ultimate take-off weight - ten and a half tons;
- practical displacement - 15 and a quarter kilometers;
- crew - one pilot;
- combat range - 2.7 km;
- fuel supply - almost nine thousand liters.
In addition, the aircraft is armed with a pair of Aden guns, nine suspension units for additional ammunition and launchers for guided missiles.
Harrier GR-9
This modification received two main differences from its predecessors. The integrated weapons program has been improved, which is designed to use a wide range of high-precision weapons of various calibers. In addition, a powerful engine from the same Rolls-Royce appeared under the number Mk-107.
Harrier is an aircraft that, in the latest modification, was built with the latest weapons and air defense systems in mind, equipped with an extremely informative dashboard and a warning system of proximity to the landing site. The first flight on the device in question was completed in two thousand and the first year. There are developments of two-seater cars equipped with a less powerful motor with the IWP system.
Characteristics GR-9
This aircraft has the following parameters:
- length / height - 14.3 / 5.5 m;
- wing span - nine meters;
- wing area - twenty one square meter;
- fighter weight (maximum) - fourteen tons;
- traction force - 10.75 tons;
- top speed at maximum altitude - 1198 km / h;
- combat range - two thousand seven hundred kilometers.
The aircraft is equipped with standard armaments for this class, as well as optical-guided bombs and reconnaissance systems such as PU NUR.
Finally
Harrier attack fighter is rightfully included in the category of “the best military aircraft in the world”. It has a vertical take-off and landing, has a large supply of direct flight and has excellent weapons. If you compare it with the domestic counterpart "Yak-38." It can be noted that the British counterpart surpasses the opponent in many ways. If we take into account the first series of cars, then in some aspects the Yak is more enduring and maneuverable. Improved versions of the British aircraft practically do not experience competition among equals in type of aircraft.
The interest in this aircraft is further evidenced by the interest in it of the most developed air forces in countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Multifunctionality, reliability, good equipment and high speed are the determining factors for the success of the Harrier fighter.