OVERVIEW: The AV-8B Harrier II+ belongs to the second generation of the Harrier family, a single-engine, subsonic, V/STOL multirole aircraft used by the U.S. Marine Corps for precision strike, close air support, and limited air-to-air combat. The 2015 configuration featured full night operation capability, radar-guided missile integration, and air-to-ground precision munitions such as APKWS in both strike and air-to-air modes.

DETAILS: The aircraft is powered by the Rolls-Royce F402-RR-408 turbofan and has a top speed of approximately Mach 0.9 with 7 external hardpoints. It is equipped with the AN/APG-65 radar, AN/AAR-51 FLIR, digital moving map, RWR, and supported targeting pods such as the LITENING G4. Electronic countermeasures included the AN/ALQ-164 DECM pod and ALE-39 chaff/flare dispensers. Its loadout supported AIM-9L, AIM-120C-5, AGM-65, GPS- and laser-guided bombs, and APKWS.

The “+” designation refers to the integration of radar systems into the Night Attack baseline. It featured employment of AIM-120C-5 for BVR air-to-air roles and APKWS for air-to-ground and limited air-to-air engagements against slow aerial targets. No major structural changes occurred, but upgrades included mission software improvements and expanded weapons compatibility.

TYPE: V/STOL multirole strike aircraft

FUNCTION: The 2015 model was primarily used for precision strike and CAS missions from forward air bases and amphibious ships, with modular payloads tailored per sortie. Aircraft were configured pre-mission with radar and targeting settings, loaded with GPS/INS data, and fueled for STOVL operations in contested environments.

NOTE:
IOC: 1993 (AV-8B Harrier II+)
Operators: United States
Conflict used in: Afghanistan (2001–2014), Operation Inherent Resolve (2014–2017), Syria (2015)

SOURCE:
U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command: https://www.navair.navy.mil ; U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Weapon Roadmaps ; Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft ; BAE Systems APKWS: https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/advanced-precision-kill-weapon-system-apkws ; Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://fas.org ; Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_AV-8B_Harrier_II