The Airplane the US Borrowed and Turned into a Monster

At a time when military prowess and innovation never rested, the revolutionary British Harrier jet rose as a game-changing design in aviation combat. Born from the genius of Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s, this trailblazing Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing warbird turned heads across the globe.

The original Harrier’s unique capabilities allowed it to soar from short runways, aircraft carriers, and even makeshift landing zones. It gave its pilots unparalleled agility and was used to perform formidable combat tactics during its service history.

But as with any other technology, age soon caught up with the mighty Harrier. By the 1980s, the design faced obsolescence.

However, the influential warplane was not done leaving its mark in modern warfare. Soon, the United States Marine Corps caught wind of the Harrier’s potential. Envisioning a bolder future, the USMC teamed up with British Aerospace and American giant McDonnell Douglas to forge an alliance capable of transforming the aging warbird into a modern aircraft fit for a new age of combat aviation.

As a phoenix emerging from the ashes, the American AV-8B Harrier II was reborn from the British Harrier’s design.

With enhanced aerodynamics, a mighty engine, cutting-edge avionics, and versatile weapons systems, the new Harrier II was ready to dominate the skies.

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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

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