Sea Harrier The Last All British Fighter [Paperback]

Jamie Hunter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2005

In early 2006, the Fleet Air Arm's last Sea Harrier FA 2 will launch from the ski jump of an invincible class carrier and fly to RAF St. Athan, in Wales, where it will be placed in permanent storage. This event will signal the end of an era in British aviation that stretches back some 90 years, and includes such illustrious types as the Camel, Fury, Hurricane, Spitfire, Hunter and Lightning. The final all-British single-seat fighter will have been retired from frontline service. This volume serves to chronicle the fascinating career of the Sea Harrier. Built almost as an afterthought by British Aerospace to fulfill a Royal Navy requirement that was restricted by the size of its emasculated 'through deck cruiser' style Invincible class helicopter carriers, the Sea Harrier had proven its worth in combat over the Falklands within three years of entering frontline service. A Cold War warrior, and a veteran of the more recent policing actions in the Balkans, the Persian Gulf and Sierra Leone, the Sea Harrier now finds itself in the twilight of its career due to swinging budget cuts. Yet despite its advancing years, the FA 2 variant is still the most capable fighter interceptor in Britain, thanks to the partnership forged between its highly effective Blue Vixen radar and awesome US-built AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles. The retirement of the Sea Harrier will once again leave the fleet without a dedicated fixed-wing fighter for the best part of a decade. The release of this volume in 2005 will coincide with the final airshow season attendance of the Sea Harrier. The 'SHAR' is a much loved airshow performer, and there will no doubt be considerable attention focused on the jet by the British public. As well as extensive archive material and images from Sea Harrier pilots through their careers, the volume will be illustrated with recent air-to-air ground material taken by Jamie Hunter during the last two years of Sea Harrier operations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Midland Pub Ltd (August 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857802071
• ISBN-13: 978-1857802078
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,044,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Farewell to the Sea Jet, August 28, 2006

By 

L. Scott Mcgowin (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sea Harrier The Last All British Fighter (Paperback)

This is a great profile of the famous BAe Sea Harrier that gives insights into the entire life span of the "SHAR."
Interspersed with technical descriptions, engineer, and pilot remembrances, Jamie Hunter has also included many of his outstanding air-to-air photographs of the Sea Harrier.
It is the ultimate irony that the Sea Harrier, who's birth came about from the results of flawed idiotic political policy was also consigned to an entirely too soon retirement due to the same type of flawed idiotic political policy.
From an almost after thought of an aircraft the Sea Harrier evolved into a potent interceptor with an excellent radar and the latest weaponry. It will be sorely missed.

5.0 out of 5 stars One-Stop Book for the Sea harrier!, October 24, 2005

By 

Paul Bradley (Flagstaff, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sea Harrier The Last All British Fighter (Paperback)

This is an excellent overview of the Sea Harrier program, and tells the history of the machine from the early-Sixties to its current service demise. Interlaced with this history are plenty of personal anecdotes and a superb selection of photos, many taken by the author. Rounding out the book are some very useful appendices. My personal book of the year so far!