The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered service with the Royal Navy in April 1980 as the Sea Harrier FRS1 and became informally known as the "Shar".Unusual in an era in which most naval and land-based air superiority fighters were large and supersonic, the principal role of the subsonic Sea Harrier was to provide air defense for Royal Navy task groups centered around the aircraft carriers.

The Sea Harrier served in the Falklands War and the Balkans conflicts; on all occasions it mainly operated from aircraft carriers positioned within the conflict zone. Its usage in the Falklands War was its most high profile and important success, when it was the only fixed-wing fighter available to protect the British Task Force. The Sea Harriers shot down 20 enemy aircraft during the conflict; 2 Sea Harriers were lost to enemy ground fire. They were also used to launch ground attacks in the same manner as the Harriers operated by the Royal Air Force.

The Sea Harrier was marketed for sales abroad, but India was the only other operator after attempts to sell the aircraft to Argentina and Australia were unsuccessful. A second, updated version for the Royal Navy was made in 1993 as the Sea Harrier FA2, improving its air-to-air abilities and weapons compatibilities, along with a more powerful engine; this version was manufactured until 1998. The aircraft was withdrawn from service early by the Royal Navy in 2006, but remained in service with the Indian Navy for a further decade until its retirement in 2016.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale RAF British Aerospace Harrier GR Mk.9A jump jet that was attached to the Royal Navy Strike Wing, then deployed to RAF Station Cottesmore, England, during 2009. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 5-inches
Length: 7-3/4-inches

Release Date: March 2025

Historical Account: "Up, Up and Away" - The Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU) was formed before it assumed the 41 Squadron number plate. It was created on April 1st, 2004, from the merger of the Strike Attack OEU (SAOEU), the F3 OEU, and the Air Guided Weapons OEU (AGWOEU). The FJWOEU took over 41(F) Squadron's number plate on April 1st, 2006, rescuing 41 Squadron from disbandment that would have otherwise resulted from the retirement of the RAF's Jaguar fleet.

Their new aircraft consisted of Panavia Tornados and Harrier GR9s, and that same year, the squadron celebrated its 90th anniversary. It remained in the role of FJWOEU until 2010, during that time testing numerous weapons and defence systems that were subsequently deployed by British forces on the front line at various locations throughout the world, including Afghanistan. Test and Evaluation Squadron, 2010 to present.

On April 1st, 2010, the Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS), then based at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, was amalgamated into No.41(Reserve) Squadron to create a new entity, 41 Squadron Test and Evaluation Squadron, or '41(R) TES', in which form it continues today.

In September 2010, the squadron celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, holding an event at RAF Coningsby attended by families of pilots of the World War II era. The squadron painted its current aircraft with World War II-era 'EB' codes, recognizing various World War II pilots and their aircraft. Originally, some of these codes were applied to the squadron's Harriers, but when these were retired, the codes were then applied to the Squadron's Tornados, and subsequently Typhoons, that replaced them. They currently commemorate the following World War II aircraft.