USMC/USN Sea Harrier

[Spino]

The decal stash is rather lacking, and the budget is tight.  I'm thinking of re-using the decals that it came with (some of them) and marking this thing up as a high-vis USN bird.  Cut the "Royal" part off the "Royal Navy" decals and slap those on the base of the tail, use the white numbers on the front of the nose to contrast with the black radome, and snag some other USN decals from wherever I can find them.  I may just end up ordering some custom decal paper and printing what I don't have already myself, it should be cheaper than buying a set pre-made.

[Spino]

Well, the 3D-printed instrument panel didn't work out great, but it doesn't really show up with the canopy and pilot in place.  I think she's about ready for decals.  Unfortunately a smudge of black paint somehow made its way onto the starboard side of the windscreen, but it could be worse.  I put putty around the countermeasure dispensers to give them the fairing look that they should have, and repainted the vents on top of the fuselage.  Markings will be USN, taken from the existing decal sheet and whatever else I can scrape up.

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[Spino]

Here's some what-if background and specs for the Sea Harrier II:

History: Impressed by the British idea of taking STOVL aircraft to sea on a small, low cost ship, the US Navy re-commissioned two of its old Essex class carriers in the early 1980s.  These ships had their arrestor gear and catapults removed and Sea Sparrow missile launchers added for defensive purposes.  The air wing of these ships was initially composed of SH-60B Seahawk helicopters and USMC AV-8A Harriers, but this placed a strain on the USMC Harrier fleet.  Compounding the problem was the lack of onboard radar in the Harrier, which limited the air defense capabilities of the light carriers. 

To alleviate this issue and increase the capabilities of the light strike carriers, as they were now called, the US Navy ordered a modified version of the Sea Harrier.  Designated AV-8D since B and C were assigned to the Harrier II (then in development) and improved Harrier variants respectively, the new aircraft had extended wings and nine weapons stations, nearly double the number of the AV-8A and Sea Harrier. 

To alleviate the air defense problem for the light carriers, AV-8Ds were fitted with a modified variant of the APG-73 radar from the F/A-18 Hornet, in place of the British Blue Fox radar.  Designated APG-74, this radar was compatible with the AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-120 AMRAAM air to air missiles, and fitted inside the existing Sea Harrier nose section with some reorganization of internal systems and a slightly reduced antenna size.  An infrared search and track system was added on top of the nose.  The AV-8D was named "Sea Harrier II" to reflect its increased capabilities. 

To increase the top speed of the Sea Harrier II, the original Rolls Royce Pegasus engine was replaced with a modified variant of the Harrier II's F402 engine with plenum chamber burning, delivering up to 28,000lb of thrust.  This allowed the Sea Harrier IIs to fly at speeds of up to Mach 1.2, considerably faster than the original subsonic Harrier design.

The ground attack capabilities of the Sea Harrier II were also drastically expanded with the addition of the Litening targeting pod, allowing carriage of laser-guided munitions.  The 30mm ADEN gun pods from the Sea Harrier were retained on early production aircraft, but the low ammunition count was seen as unsatisfactory, and the ADEN pods were eventually replaced by a new gun pod set with a 30mm M230 and 100 rounds in the starboard pod and 400 rounds of ammunition in the port side pod.  Alternatively, the GAU-25 pods of the Harrier II could be fitted.

With the final retirement of the light carriers in the late 1990s, the Sea Harrier II fleet suddenly had no ships to deploy on.  Most of the 115 aircraft were retired and sent to the "boneyard" at Davis Monthan AFB for storage, but a few soldiered on as air defense planes for the Tarawa class LHAs until they were finally replaced by the radar-equipped AV-8B Harrier II+. 

In the early 2020s, with war in the Pacific very likely and the F-35B fleet potentially open to cyberattack in time of war, the Sea Harrier II fleet was dusted off and returned to service.  Upgraded with an AESA variant of the APG-74 radar and Scorpion Helmet Mounted Displays, the Sea Harrier IIs continue to provide a supersonic strike fighter capability to the LHA fleet alongside the remaining Harrier II+ aircraft.

Specifications:

Crew: 1
Length: 45 feet
Wingspan: 32 feet 9 inches
Empty Weight: 14,021lb
Loaded Weight: 23,000lb
Max Rolling Takeoff Weight: 31,500lb
Max Vertical Takeoff Weight: 20,755lb
Max Speed: 805 knots (Mach 1.2)
Range: 1200nm
Combat Range: 300nm
Wing Loading: 90.24 lb/sq ft

Armament: 1 25mm GAU-25 Equalizer rotary cannon pod with 300 rounds, or 1 30mm M230 cannon pod with 500 rounds, 9 hardpoints for up to 9,200lb of stores; including up to six AIM-120 AMRAAM and up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder air to air missiles, Paveway and JDAM precision guided bombs, and APKWS rockets.

[Spino]

So it's been a little while, but I figured I'd give a quick update on this.  The Sea Harrier II is nearly finished, just needs some decals.  I'm still working on printing custom decals for it.

[kerick]

It will be great to see it finished!

[Spino]

It's been a while since I posted an update here.  I have some decal paper that I'm thinking about using, but I need clear acrylic spray to finish the decals.  Anyone got a recommendation?

[PR19_Kit]

Yes, but it depends if you're in the UK or not.

[Wardukw]

It's been a while since I posted an update here.  I have some decal paper that I'm thinking about using, but I need clear acrylic spray to finish the decals.  Anyone got a recommendation?

Ammo does a range of spray varnishes and they work brilliantly..not the cheapest here but it's possibly one of the best here in nz..other folks will have their favs for sure but I myself freakin love the stuff   

[Spino]

Nice to know.  I'll have a look around when life calms down a bit, had a lot going on over the past couple of months.

[Wardukw]

Nice to know.  I'll have a look around when life calms down a bit, had a lot going on over the past couple of months.

My pleasure matey 👍
After today I want life to calm down a little.. ive been up since 4am and pretty much driving until I got home at 3:45pm ..saddly I know it won't  .

[Spino]

Custom decals and then I think I'll call this one finished.  Photos to follow.