McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
Harrier II
“It doesn't need a runway. It barely needs a ship.”
McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) · military
The AV-8B Harrier II points its engine nozzles down and simply stops in mid-air, flying vertical landings onto amphibious ships and short strips no other fast jet could use. It served the US Marine Corps for four decades until June 2026, when the F-35B finally took over the job the Harrier invented. Spain and Italy still fly theirs from carriers.
In a hover the Harrier balances on four columns of engine thrust, steered by small puffer jets in the nose, tail and wingtips.
A small jet with a huge intake on each side of the cockpit and four nozzle outlets along the fuselage. Since mid-2026, a flying AV-8B means the Spanish or Italian Navy.
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the Harrier II from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook.
