Harrier

[Foz]

New thread started...


I based the above suggestions on an engine test flight and capability demonstration I saw at CFB Cold Lake many years ago. The flight included what I referred to at the time as a dance in the air, with a bow to the crowd at the end. It was amazing watching the pilot put this "jet" through helicopter-like moves. At one point, he literally did a nose stand, holding the plane in place over the taxiway.

Also, based on NATO and Maple Flag exercise anecdotes from RAF pilots flying interdiction missions, they described dropping into small clearings in wooded areas, and then popping up to shoot at passing/pursuing aircraft. So, they would not be heavily loaded with bombs and rockets, but Sidewinders (occasionally, with mods) and bullets. Yes, GR.1s and GR.3s were primarily ground attack, but we are talking an air combat game. Sea Harriers and AV-8s are different, yet again, with different capabilities.

And, I wasn't covering the entire flight profile of all the versions of the plane, in all mission types, with all weapons load-outs, guys. I was just suggesting a possible way to represent transitioning to, and from, level flight. But, we could start a thread? It is worth the discussion, especially if we want helicopters, with CAP escorts, against ground targets. Vietnam War, US Air Cavalry vs Viet-Cong. Lots of opportunities for scenarios. We can use current decks to fudge this, though.

PS: V-22 Osprey?

Here is quite a useful page that has the stats for short & vertical take offs etc...
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/harrier/

and a Q&A section on hover limits...
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/planes/q0123.shtml

These may not be 100% correct, but a reasonable starting point.

[Tonx]

Yakovlev Yak 38 Forger aircraft if the game ever gets that far must also be remembered though I think the last of those came out of service between 1998 and 2000.

V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotors ... There's one I had forgotten until I read your PS Steve. Took AGES to introduce to service - something like eight years because of the technical and performance problems which had to be ironed out!

[David Manley]

Yakovlev Yak 38 Forger aircraft if the game ever gets that far must also be remembered though I think the last of those came out of service between 1998 and 2000.

V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotors ... There's one I had forgotten until I read your PS Steve. Took AGES to introduce to service - something like eight years because of the technical and performance problems which had to be ironed out!

Yak-38 OSD was 1991

[Lord_Ninja]

So I am trying to find a book that is chillin in the house somewhere that has detailed descriptions on the limitations of the Harriers (Both U.K. and U.S. variants). I am personally using the L Deck because despite all of the cool Harrier tricks a Harrier can pull off, those make you a sitting target most of the time. Anytime though the Harrier uses the 90 degree turns, the player must play a stall right after. VIFFing (Vectoring In Forward Flight) burnt off all of the planes energy and was usually used as a final measure to shake an enemy fighter. In fact, kills by offensive VIFFs were not recorded during the Falklands conflict but VIFFs were used as desperate defensive maneuvers. These maneuvers also only really worked with the lesser trained Argentine pilots who wouldn't know how to exploit the Harriers Weaknesses or fly to the Mirage's strengths.

[Naharaht]

I do not know whether this might answer your questions about the Harrier because I do not own a copy but the January/February issue of JETS magazine features the Harrier. 185317