@ London, UK
September 2023
This combat veteran Harrier (ZD461) greeted me upon my return to the Imperial War Museum, 20 years since my last visit. Delivered to the Royal Air Force in 1989 as a Harrier GR5, this aircraft was later upgraded to GR7 and GR9 specs. During 20 years of service ZD461 saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan, finishing with the Naval Strike Wing before a taxiing incident put this airframe on the scrap list. First flown in 1985, the Harrier II was derived from the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, with 143 produced. The Harrier II was eventually replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. Following the retirement of the Harrier fleet from RAF service in 2010, ZD461 was acquired by the IWM in 2012.
