Minicraft Plastics 1/144 12657 British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.1 Fighter Aircraft Kit

The British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.1 (Fighter, Reconnaissance, Strike, Mk 1) entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in 1978 as a unique solution to providing fighter cover from light aircraft carriers. Unlike conventional naval aircraft, the Sea Harrier used vectored-thrust nozzles to achieve short take-offs and vertical landings, removing the need for catapults or arrestor wires. The type’s finest hour came during the Falklands War of 1982. Armed with AIM-9L Sidewinders and equipped with Blue Fox radar for target detection, twenty-eight Sea Harriers from 800, 801, and reformed 809 Naval Air Squadrons deployed on HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible, supported by ten Harrier GR.3s from RAF No. 1 (F) Squadron, provided the UK’s only fleet air defence. Despite early doubts about their limited radar and modest speed, the Sea Harriers proved decisive, achieving twenty confirmed air-to-air kills against Argentine fighters and attack aircraft, without loss in aerial combat. They also flew hundreds of sorties on strike and patrol duties, often in harsh weather and at the limits of their endurance. The Sea Harrier’s effectiveness in the South Atlantic silenced critics and earned it a reputation as one of the most effective and adaptable naval fighters of its era. Its performance was a decisive factor in securing British victory, and the FRS.1 remains forever associated with the Falklands campaign.