Keith Ferris Originals

The Hawker Siddeley 1127 prototype made it first hovering flight on November 19, 1960.  The following year, the aircraft had made total transition flights from vertical to horizontal and reverse.  It was named the Kestrel and tested by the United States, Great Britain and German Federal Republic.  In 1967 the production aircraft, the Harrier, was ordered into production for the RAF and later, the U.S. Marines, becoming the first operational V/STOL fighter in the world. The Harrier also introduced a vectored thrust control capability for combat, which gave this aircraft a unique capability for air combat maneuvering. 

 

Published: Aviation Week & Space Technology Calendar 1975

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