BAE Systems | International Aviation HQ

22Apr

By Gareth Seagull4 Comments

Aircraft Compare

Harrier vs Yak-38: Who wins?

Both the Harrier and the Yak-38 are extremely similar in their purpose and design. Both are V/STOL aircraft. But neither ever encountered the other on the battlefield, so, which is the superior aircraft? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Harrier vs Yak-38: What is V/STOL? Whilst many are acquainted with the concept of V/STOL, equally as many are not. V/STOL is the process of a conventional fixed wing aircraft (such as the Harrier or Yak-38) taking off vertically. Much like a helicopter would! If they can't take of vertically (either they can't or the pilot doesn't want to) the Harrier and Yak-38 can also do a short takeoff. This requires them to have less runway than other aircraft of their size! Harrier vs Yak-38: The Basics After WWII,...

24Jul

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

RIAT 2019: It’s been unforgettable…

Last weekend saw the world-renowned RIAT 2019 airshow. It was perfect- it was sunny and warm, and the aircraft performances were amazing. There are few events in the aviation industry that can rival the drama, intensity and spectacles of RIAT 2019. Many spectacular aircraft took flight over the weekend, including: The Spanish Navy EAV-8B Harrier; The British Airways 747 flight with the Red Arrows display team; and several German, Italian, and British Typhoons. As well as many static aircraft, including: Gulfstream G550, a US Marine Corps CV-22B Osprey, as well as Canadian, Jordanian and British C-130 Hercules just to name a few (see the full list here). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Despite the heavy rain on the Friday, the aircraft were great- m...

Eurofighter Typhoon: The aircraft Europe collaborated on

29Jun

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Eurofighter Typhoon: The aircraft Europe collaborated on

As per our poll on Instagram on Wednesday, the Typhoon was chosen over the F-35 Lightning II for Aircraft Digest this week. The Eurofighter Typhoon II is a new fighter aircraft introduced to service in the British RAF in April 2006, it was meant to replace the Tornado, Harrier and Sea Harrier, it was a joint effort between the major aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain. Why was the Eurofighter project started? The aircraft was developed as a counter to the Mig-29, as the Western European nations saw that the Mig-29 was more manoeuvrable than any aircraft currently in service with those nations at the time, manufactured by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo, it was first flown on the 27 March 1994, and flew into service in 2006. It initially saw some di...

22Jun

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Harrier: The Best British Jet?

So a few days ago, I was speaking with some former British Royal Air Force and United States Air Force pilots. And they were talking about how they missed the the BAE Systems and McDonnell Douglas Harrier jets of the past. Rather than this ‘American crap’ as one of the former RAF Pilots said (referring to the new F-35 Lightning II). The RAF pilots then started wining about how they detest the new F-35 that replaced the Harrier. So was it really as good as they say it was? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Beginning It was originally developed by the UK-based aircraft manufacturer Hawker Siddeley in the 1960’s. Hawker Siddeley is now part of BAE Systems so it is sometimes called the BAE Harrier. It emerged as the only successful V/STOL (Vertica...