AERO 126 Hawker Siddeley/BAE/McDonnell Douglas Harrier a Sea Harrier – Fojtík Jakub (2025)

The multi-role aircraft Harrier and its second generation Harrier II were developed in response to concerns from Western countries about the potential destruction of airfield infrastructure by the air forces of Warsaw Pact countries. Even less precise attacks could have rendered the deployment of conventional aircraft impossible, and this threat persists to this day. The ability for short rather than vertical takeoff and vertical landing was intended to allow the deployment of this type of technology practically anywhere. The creation of the S/VTOL (Short/Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft category in the United Kingdom was only possible due to the development of a revolutionary power unit at the time – the Pegasus turbofan engine. This engine introduced the concept of extracting compressed air from the compressor, and with two nozzles for this 'cold' air and two nozzles directing hot exhaust gases, it was the first to successfully manage the development of such a vehicle. This is also one of the reasons why the Harrier was successful, while Soviet aircraft Yak-38/38M faced only limited service. The additional lift engines of the Soviet model proved to be bulky, heavy, and demanding in fuel consumption, causing the performance of the Yak-38 to significantly lag behind the conceptually decade-older Harrier. Therefore, Harrier aircraft are among...