Ex-British Harrier jets head to be scrapped after 11 years in the Boneyard

Feature

Dino van Doorn witnesses the final departure of the UK’s Joint Force Harrier fleet from the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona.

The Harriers were picked up by a forklift and dropped onto a low loader truck. The Harrier GR9 seen here (ZD409) was not serving any squadron when the fleet was retired but was coded ‘38’.
The Harriers were picked up by a forklift and dropped onto a low loader truck. The Harrier GR9 seen here (ZD409) was not serving any squadron when the fleet was retired but was coded ‘38’. Dino van Doorn

After the RAF/Royal Navy Harrier fleet was prematurely retired in December 2010, Joint Force Harrier (JFH) was disbanded in February 2011. In November 2011, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced the $180m (£110m) sale of its Harrier assets to the US government, which included 72 Harrier airframes, spares and associated support equipment.

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Originally published in AirForces Monthly Magazine

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