Harriers on the move at last

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1834279#post1834279

Romeo Bravo

The rag in question was this one!

http://www.defensenews.com/mobile/index.php?storyUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.defensenews.com%2Fstory.php%3Fi%3D8225756%26%26s%3DTOP

WASHINGTON and LONDON – Britain has agreed to sell all of its 74 decommissioned Harrier jump jets, along with engines and spare parts, to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps – a move expected to help the Marines operate Harriers into the mid-2020s and provide extra planes to replace aging two-seat F-18D Hornet strike fighters.

Rear Adm. Mark Heinrich, chief of the U.S. Navy’s Supply Corps, confirmed the two-part deal Nov. 10 during a conference in New York sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch in association with Defense News.

Heinrich negotiated the $50 million purchase of all Harrier spare parts, while Rear Adm. Donald Gaddis, the U.S. Navy’s program executive officer for tactical aircraft, is overseeing discussions to buy the Harrier aircraft and their Rolls-Royce engines, Heinrich said.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence in London confirmed the Disposal Services Agency was in talks with the U.S. Navy for the sale of the Harriers. The deal had yet to be concluded, he said Nov. 11.

A bit more than just a rag, I suspect:diablo:

Tim S

Roll up, grab your Harrier II bit’s now folks 😀

.

I’m surprised you didn’t buy them all:D

There is no seat commonality -the U.S use Stencel -we use MB . Lots of airframe parts are U.K sourced i.e reaction control system so no matter what happens the U.K will be gaining income from spares support.

Ah No – Remember more of the AV8B airframe comes form the US than UK. Hence most, if not all, airframe consumables are supplied to the USMC by the likes of Boeing, Goodrich e.t.c. The exception are the systems comon to both US/UK aircraft i.e Engine, UC and seat. Even here the USMC has a first line MRO capability, and the UK provided a second line deep MRO support. I understand for RR this was worth about the equivalant of about one Peg build a month……….but now that arround 100 serviceable Pegs are with the USMC the guys at Patchway are really wondering if the last of its breed has already left the building.

In a move that would bring a tear of pride to a citythief boy’s eye, D Cam-moron has made a quick buck for UK gov at the expense of UK plc.

No it hasn’t flooded the market. Some spares such as consumable parts have shelf life and they need to be produced. Couple this with parts that wear out and there will be a need to supply these. The spares purchased will certainly help but with the likes of v-band clamps for example they will be used in big numbers if an effort is made to put them back together.

That’ll be the British government investing in ‘highly skilled, highly paid’ jobs then…

…still, on the bright side, Morrisons have announced 7000 new jobs recently! :rolleyes:

The aircraft have a RR engine which the manufacturer will support. It has an MB seat which is supported and its still a joint Boeing / BAe product .

Ah No – Selling these as spares has flooded the very limit market and hence pulled the rug from the likes of RR & MB. As for the “joint Boeing/BAESYSTEMS product”, it was agreed in the early project days, the US/oversea’s sales A/C would be supported in the USA and the UK A/C would be supported in the Uk. The BAESYSTEMS Harrier support team went from nearly 300 engineers to just 8!……. mainly to support the Indian Navy SHARS.

Maybe I’m too cynical, but could the US deal have anything to do with the Harrier being taken out of service so prematurely?

In 8 years has a single FA2 gone to a good home?

Art Nalls picked up one.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/diy-flying/how-to-restore-a-harrier-jump-jet

The British taxpayer gets owned on a weekly basis, the only thing that surprises me here is that we didn’t offer them free and offer to pay double for our F35 too 😀

I think a better idea would be to give Buckingham Palace to the Chinese and Downing Street to India for free as part of foreign aid 😎

is anything happening with the stored Sea Harriers or have they perished?

Hi
They would look nice on the new chinese aircraft carrier,maybe they might buy a few.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/316224
cheers
Jerry

In 8 years has a single FA2 gone to a good home? The Admirals barge needs to go on display!

Well, many more than the number of Harrier GR7/GR9 that are ever going to make into UK museums.

I never liked the Admiral’s Barge; a totally phoney scheme. I hope the ‘vintage’ scheme Harrier GR9 went for spares; the UK is preserving so few, they ought to be in authentic schemes.

What happened to the vintage camo schemed harrier??

There’s a few SHars in museums, NAM has one with a rather notable history.

I just wish a few had survived in the original Mk I configuration and not converted back.

re;

Thankfully not much of the Sea Harrier FA2 is compatible with the Harriers operated by anybody else, except India, so at least many of these will make it into preservation in the UK.

In 8 years has a single FA2 gone to a good home? The Admirals barge needs to go on display!

Creaking Door -a squadron was disbanded circa 2009. However the fleet had a planned life before that it it worked on it being cut in half circa 2017. The remaining aircraft would have formed the reduced fleet. There was never a problem with the Afghan commitment even with a reduced fleet size.

As for shipping Harrier parts – it was never foreseen that this would happen so there really isnt enough wing stands or fuselage trestles to carry this out.
Therefore a degree of improvisation is taking place!

Parts

Surprised to see them sitting the parts on old tyres in the Packing Parts post – I thought it was just the likes of us lot, when we take 748’s and such like apart, that do that:D

Seems odd when they have all the proper kit available, unless those parts are just for spares recovery?

Anon.

Various, in scope and also country of origin, over an extended period – all politely declined!! 😉

Spare part request; who from, the SFDO?