Former RAF Tornado pilot Michael Napier chronicles the action-packed
history of the Harrier GR 7/9, and its missions in West Africa, the
Balkans, the Middle East and Afghanistan over a 14-year period of
ceaseless operations.
The Harrier GR 7/9 was at the 'tip of the spear' for the RAF when it
came to employing weapons against well-equipped standing armies and
irregular forces in the 1990s and during the first decade of the new
millennium. Assigned to the Harrier GR 7/9 Force, the aircraft undertook
No Fly Zone patrols over northern Iraq, supported UN forces in the
Balkans and embarked in Royal Navy carriers to bolster the RAF presence
ashore in the Arabian Gulf. Harrier GR 7s also flew from HMS
Illustrious over Sierra Leone in 2000 and were involved in the second
Gulf War during early 2003 acting as Close Air Support for Coalition
forces.
Using first-hand accounts from his extensive Service contacts, supported
by both official and personal photographs and 30 artwork profiles
illustrating the wide range of colours worn and ordnance employed by the
'jump jet', Michael Napier provides a rare insider's look at the
deployment of Harrier GR 7/9 up to its withdrawal from RAF service in
2010. Moreover, Napier also covers the numerous upgrades received by the
aircraft over the years, from more powerful engines to the creation of
the GR 9/9A variants in 2005.
