Sea Harrier FA2 - a modern-day F6D Missileer?

"Paul J. Adam" wrote ...

TOliver writes
"Thomas Schoene" wrote ...
Unfortunately, pictures of real Sea Harriers with live missile loads
seem
to be rare as hen teeth.

Rumor has it that aside from the blue, inert exercise "concrete" versions,
the budget only stretched to a couple of dozen, held in a secret bunker
somewhere in Yorkshire, plugged in like recharging cell phones, awaiting
the
summons to Armageddon...

Not *quite* that bad; the UK AMRAAM buy was sufficient to arm the Tonka
F.3s as well as give the deployed carrier her Blue Book loadout, with
enough left over (assuming we don't actually shoot any in anger) to tide
the Typhoons over until Meteor deliveries start.

Which isn't to say there are surplus AIM-120s piled up in corners, just
that for once Tom's overstating it

I suspect an actual weapons load of two per a/c is about all the
acquisition
budget will stretch to,

The problem was rather one of the inevitable weight growth of ageing
aircraft, coupled to the high cost of a bigger engine, and expected
operations in weather charitably described as "too bloody hot for
comfort": in air temperatures of over forty degrees modern, a SHar with
four AMRAAMs couldn't hover at more than 'flameout in seconds' fuel
states. (Hence, in part, its premature retirement)

Thanks, Paul. I was engaged in a bit of ritual, nay liturgical,
cistern-chain pulling. I do doubt we'll ever see a harrier or any other
birds for that matter, RAF or USAF, actually "actively employed" with 4
AIM-120s aboard. A mixed loadout really makes more sense, and needing to
pull the gun pack to add 2 to the Harrier sort of narrows the a/c's
potential employment roles.

TMO