| Harrier GR.1 | Harrier GR.3 | Harrier GR.5 | Harrier GR.7 | Sea Harrier FRS.1 | Sea Harrier FA2 |
The Sea Harrier FRS.1 is an air superiority fighter for the United Kingdom that was first introduced in Wargame: AirLand Battle.
History[]
The British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.1 is a single-engine, single-seat, Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) fighter used by the Royal Navy. It was developed out of the Hawker-Siddeley Harrier GR.3, but with a raised, bubble canopy for better visibility, and elongated nose to accommodate the Ferranti Blue Fox radar. Certain parts were changed out with corrosion-resistant ones to help deal with the salt-water environment that the FRS.1 would be operating in. The type was introduced into Royal Navy arsenals in 1980, and shortly after saw action in the Falklands War, where its crews flew Combat Air Patrol missions and claimed 20 aerial victories. Following the Falklands War, the FRS.1 was given compatibility with the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile.
Two squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm used Harriers No 800 and No.801 and No.899 serving as the OCU.
Overview[]
AirLand Battle[]
The Sea Harrier FRS.1 is a relatively inexpensive air superiority fighter available to United Kingdom and NATO decks. Armed with twin ADEN 30 cannons and four AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, the FRS.1 is ideal for attacking enemy helicopters, or to intercept strike platforms en-rout to target. Its lack of a long range missile and poor ECM make the type less capable against enemy air superiority fighters, however. The type also has a relatively slow top speed, meaning it will not be able to keep pace with most strike platforms in the escort role, so timing or preemptive scrambling of the Harrier should be a consideration. At 75 points per aircraft, the Sea Harrier FRS.1 provides cost-effective aerial combat capabilities.
Red Dragon[]
The Sea Harrier FRS.1 in Wargame: Red Dragon is left almost untouched from its AirLand Battle configuration. It carries twin ADEN 30 cannons with 150 rounds (compared to twin ADEN 30's with 200 in ALB), four AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, 10% ECM, and the same general characteristics as in ALB. Its advantages and disadvantages, as such, are largely the same in Red Dragon as in AirLand Battle.
At 70 points, it is one of the cheapest aircrafts in the game and it shows, its 10% ecm and short range missiles make it pathetic against most air superiority fighters, on top of that, its slow speed of 750 km/h means that it will be outpaced by most fighters, so other jets, such as the su-27pu could feasibly fire their missiles at the sea harrier from outside of their fire range, and then turn around and evac before any surviving sea harriers could catch it. However, what makes the sea harrier special is that it has the same anti heli capabilities of jets such as the eurofighter, at less than half the cost. This means that it is well worth sending up to 4 harriers against say, 2 akulas, because they will generally take them down before reaching land based defenses and even if you lose all 4, you will make a 20 point net profit. They can even be sent up against a confident su-27pu and may take one down, and whilst you may end up with a net loss, in the long run an su-27 loss is much more demoralizing and damaging to the enemies air force than a sea harrier, which can be replaced with ease. They can also be used to escort fleets as their low cost and high availability makes them ideal, 3 hovering over a fleet at any one time is enough to protect them from asm helicopters, which will generally back off when attacked, they can quickly move to intercept incoming asm jets, and, if you see an air superiority jet incoming, you can make it evac and then just send another 3 in once the opponents air force is gone, however, this can be somewhat awkward to maintain as it requires constant attention.
Weapons[]
AirLand Battle[]
| Weapons | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Autocannon | AAM | No Weapon |
| Name | Twin ADEN 30 | AIM-9L | |
| Caliber | 30mm, AoE | Infrared AoE, F&F | |
| Ammo | x 200 | x 4 | |
| Range | Ground = 2100 m Helicopters = 1400 m  Airplanes = 2100 m
|
Ground = N/A m Helicopters = 1750 m Airplanes = 3150 m
|
|
| Accuracy | 6 | 10 | |
| AP Power | 0 | 0 | |
| HE Power | 1 | 4 | |
| Suppression | 69 | 160 | |
| Rate of fire | 1071 r/min | 30 r/min |
Red Dragon[]
| Weapons | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Autocannon | AAM | No Weapon |
| Name | ADEN 30 | AIM-9L | |
| Caliber | 30mm, AoE | AoE, F&F | |
| Ammo | x 150 | x 4 | |
| Range | Ground = 2100 m Helicopters = 1575 m Airplanes = 2275 m
|
Ground = N/A m Helicopters = 1750 m Airplanes = 3500 m
|
|
| Accuracy | 30% | 50% | |
| Stabilizer | 30% | 50% | |
| AP Power | 0 | 0 | |
| HE Power | 1 | 4 | |
| Suppression | 60 | 160 | |
| Rate of fire | 1071 r/min | 30 r/min |
See also[]
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