Some convincing concepts here. I think that the UK would do well to adopt an idea similar to this and pull out of the JSF altogether.

I still think the UK should stick with the STOVL F-35B because it’s the easy option, but I have to admit that this is the only reason I think we should stick to the F-35B.

In my opinion the probability that the F-35B will be the most expensive, complex and least capable JSF variant and the UK’s decision to build aircraft carriers big enough for conventional operations has totally defeated the advantages of the V/STOL fighter 😡

Steveo your Hawker P.1216 is very good. I red Tony Butler bokk “British secret project fighter” and this plane was the final result of 25 years of studies by Hawker on VTOL supersonic fighters. A pity Great Britain couldn’t find money 20 years ago.
The P.1216 could have been a join program between RAF (no Harrier GR5) RN (No SeaHarrier F/A2) Spain and Italy (no AV8 B). With such a program, no VTOL JSF (and no problems with Wavers).

Thanks Archibaald, more pics of the P.1216 can be found here http://prototypes.free.fr/p1127/p1127-14.htm

I would have loved to see some of the British V/STOL fighter projects succeed too, but unfortunately lack of political will and the usual inter-service rivalry, that ends up with all parties getting less than they wanted, made it impossible 🙁

I am pretty sure that the Sub-harpoon has been retired from the RN.

I thought that might be the case, I guess they have been replaced by Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.

Were Sea Eagles withdrawn from the RAF inventory as well?

If so, what anti shipping capability has been retained?

Yes, the UK’s only anti-ship missile capability is Sea Skua on Lynx helicopters and Harpoon on Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft.

Harpoon is also fitted to Type 22 (batch 3) and Type 23 frigates and maybe still on the SSN fleet(?).

This is the only one I can find at the moment 😮

Another Harrier III option would be a completely new design, but a natural evolution from the Harrier II.

This new design Harrier III would have a tricycle undercarriage, a drop out engine change fuselage and incorporate Super Hornet style stealth features in it’s airframe details.

The engine would be a advanced Pegasus development and either be the normal four nozzle or a three nozzle arrangement depending on which produces the cheaper fuselage. Performance would be high subsonic to save money.

Pitch control would be provided by a single tail mounted up/down puffer jet instead of the current nose and tail puffer jets to save weight and space in the nose area.

The new design Harrier III would again have as much commonality with the Typhoon fleet and VAAC style controls.

This pic of the AV-16 is similar to how my new design Harrier III would look. The P.1216 is how a 3 nozzled aircraft might turn out 😮