McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier Jump Jet family. Capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL), the aircraft was designed in the late 1970s as an Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational V/STOL aircraft. The aircraft is primarily employed on light attack or multi-role missions, ranging from close air support of ground troops to armed reconnaissance. The AV-8B is used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the Spanish Navy, and the Italian
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II of funds for a replacement aircraft. Following the decommissioning of "Príncipe de Asturias" in February 2013, the sole naval platform from which Spanish Harrier IIs can operate is the amphibious assault ship . During its service with the USMC, the Harrier has had an accident rate three times that of the Corps' F/A-18s. , approximately 110 aircraft have been damaged beyond repair since the type entered service in 1985, the first accident occurring in March that year. The "Los Angeles Times" reported in 2003 that the Harrier family had the highest rate of major accidents among military aircraft in service