The US Marine Corps’ (USMC) AV-8B Harrier II ground attack jet has concluded its final flight at Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, marking its retirement after over 40 years of service.
AV-8B Harrier II, featuring a short takeoff and vertical landing capability, first entered service with the USMC in January 1985.
The last Harrier fleet was part of Marine Attack Squadron 223 and was deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which completed a 10-month deployment to the US Southern Command at the beginning of June.
The 22nd MEU operated alongside Special Operations Forces during Operation Absolute Resolve, which captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January.
It also executed several other tasks, including reinforcing embassies in Haiti and Venezuela, intercepting maritime illicit trafficking networks in the Caribbean, and supporting humanitarian assistance efforts in Jamaica.
With the second-generation aircraft’s retirement, the USMC is moving forward with its Tactical Aircraft Transition Plan towards fully adopting fifth-generation aircraft.
AV-8B Harrier II
Derived from the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier jump jet, the Harrier can launch from unpaved sites and short runways, land vertically, and operate in austere conditions.
It is 46 feet (14 meters) long with a 30-foot (9-meter) wingspan and is powered by a Rolls-Royce Pegasus turbofan engine for a top speed of 673 miles (1,083 kilometers) per hour and a combat radius of approximately 300 miles (556 kilometers).
The Harrier II is armed with mounted rotary cannons, precision rockets, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, cluster, laser, and unguided bombs, drop tanks, and electronic jammers.
Typically operated from amphibious assault ships and forward operating bases, Harrier II was deployed for close air support and attack missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and against ISIS in the Middle East.
As the aircraft began to age and face limitations amid evolving modern threats, it was set to be replaced by the F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter, which has short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities.
