The AV-8B Harrier II was developed by a team comprised of McDonnell Douglas, British Aerospace, and Rolls-Royce. Back in the 90s this aircraft cost almost 30 million dollars. Or, 7 million Pepsi points! It was based on the 1957 British-designed Hawker-Siddley Kestrel and went through a series of extensive upgrades. This aircraft is from the first V/STOL fighter jet family. And even though it is subsonic and not designed as a fighter, the 1st generation of this aircraft saw dogfight action during the Falkland War and held its own against Argentine’s Mirage jet fighters. U.S. Army General Norman Schwarzkopf named this aircraft as one of several important weapons in the Gulf War. The Harrier II is the first combat aircraft to employ composite materials extensively. With the help of the its unique nozzles Harrier II can perform a special air maneuvre called VIFF’ing that is making radically tight, controlled turns. The Harriers were supposed to be retired, but the F-35's delays and a review that not only altered how the Marines used the Harrier but also revealed that the airframes still had a lot more flight time in them than had been previously believed gave them a second chance. Join our YouTube channel by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3asNo2n Find us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3PM21xW Find us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3t2Huvb Find us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3wQfXzA Find us on TikTok: https://bit.ly/3wNsBOu Get the latest stories: https://interestingengineering.com/