2Questions for Harrier

Please see picture first:
img.villagephotos.com...
There is series number 55 show a Ultrehigh Frequency aerial behand the cockpit on Harrier. I wonder that,as I known the cockpit on harrier is back moving,the cockpit hood will hit the UHF aerial, but actually this never happened. Who can tell me how it worked?
Then, there is extend wing-tip be numbered 98 show in line-drawing, I have never found any real Harrier ever fitted this extend wing-tip, who help to show me? thanx

The canopy hood slides up at an angle, so it misses the antenna as it goes over it. Also the antenna is angled backwards.

The wingtips were detachable items and were known as 'ferry tips' which were only used when the Harrier was being flown longer than usual distances, that is why they are shown as a dotted line on the drawing.

I don't know why they couldn't be permanently fitted, maybe they had an adverse effect on roll rate?

The Sea Harrier FA.2 was designed with these tips as standard, after the earlier design with wingtip missile rails for Sidewinders was dropped.


Heres a picture I have edited to show you what I just wrote about, the top silhouette is the FRS.1, the lower one is the FA.2 as it was built, showing the new tips as well as new nose etc. The bottom pict is the artists impression of the FA.2 (then to be called FRS.2) when the project was launched in 1987. As can be seen, apart from the wingtip missile rails it was also intended to use the LERX and zero scarf front nozzles from the GR.5/AV-8B versions. I was disappointed when it flew without these features.





[edit on 3-8-2006 by waynos]

Two experts reply me is quite exactly!
I do search airliners to spend me whole day, the result has proved that Zaphod58
taught me.
Then if no Waynos picture, I think I will have no clue about that wingtip confusion.
Thanks so much to both of you.

Sorry, here is one more question for Harrier.
I saw many times there are some letters follow the Harrier name.
Some are Harrier GR.7, GR.8
some are Harrier FRS.1, FRS.2
some are Harrier FA.1, FA.2.
So, what does that letters mean?

Waynos can answer this better, but from another thread where he explained it, those have to do with the mission type the plane performs. Ground attack, fighter, etc. I think I got that right, if not sorry waynos! I really was paying attention!

GR stand for Ground (attack) Reconnaisance

FRS stands for Fighter Recon Strike (only applies to SHAR 1)

FA stands for Fighter Attack, as in F/A 18 Hornet. Only applies to SHAR 2.

Waynos will correct me if I'm wrong.

All RAF Harriers are GR, as are some Tornadoes.

All RN Harriers were Sea Harrier 1 (FRS) or Sea Harrier 2 (FA). RN pilots refer to Sea Harrier as SHAR.

USMC Harriers are (or were) AV8B.

What a stupid question out of me!
Don't let Waynos watch what I did!
Mooooood！

Faultless answers there (emile; I've seen it )

Another bit of trivia you may like to note is that the RN changed from FRS.2 to FA.2 directly because they liked the way the USN called the Hornet the F/A-18 and initially intended it to be written 'F/A.2' in the US fashion.

Another thing, not exclusive to the Sea Harrier but a general rule for British aircraft, is that any export aircraft use the mark number plus 50 or a number in the '50+' range, ie Indian Navy Sea Harriers based on the FRS.1 are FRS.51's, while Saudi Lightnings were F.53's and T.55's, based on UK F.6's and T.5's.

[edit on 7-8-2006 by waynos]