OVERVIEW: The AV-8B Harrier II+ belongs to the second generation of the Harrier family, a subsonic, single-engine, V/STOL multirole aircraft equipped with a radar and advanced night-attack systems. The 2018 configuration included the LITENING G4 with Advanced Data Link (ADL), enhancing target acquisition, joint terminal attack coordination, and real-time video transmission.

DETAILS: Powered by the Rolls-Royce F402-RR-408 turbofan engine, the AV-8B+ reaches a maximum speed of around Mach 0.9 and features 7 hardpoints for a wide range of precision munitions. It is equipped with the AN/APG-65 radar, AN/AAR-51 FLIR, RWR, and ALE-47 countermeasure dispensers. The LITENING G4 pod with ADL capability provides encrypted video downlink and improved targeting resolution. Confirmed air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons included the AIM-120C-5, AIM-9M, JDAM, GBU-12, AGM-65, and APKWS.

The “+” designation indicates radar integration over the original Night Attack model. The 2018 configuration included confirmed integration of the LITENING G4 with ADL, enabling full compatibility with real-time data sharing, enhanced cooperative engagement, and GPS-guided weapons delivery. There were no structural changes but software and avionics were updated to support new sensor and weapon capabilities.

TYPE: V/STOL multirole strike aircraft

FUNCTION: This version was primarily used for close air support and precision strike in joint operations, often from amphibious assault ships. Pre-mission configuration involved uploading GPS coordinates and digital maps, aligning the targeting pod and radar systems, and preparing for both STOVL launch and recovery under expeditionary conditions.

NOTE:
IOC: 1993 (AV-8B Harrier II+)
Operators: United States
Conflict used in: Syria (2015–2019), Operation Inherent Resolve (2014–2019)

SOURCE:
U.S. Navy NAVAIR: https://www.navair.navy.mil ; U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Plan 2018 ; Northrop Grumman LITENING Targeting Pod: https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/air/litening ; Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft ; Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://fas.org ; Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_AV-8B_Harrier_II