AV-8B Harrier II

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The AV-8B is the second generation Harrier, in Marine Corps service from 1985, with a larger composite wing and a much improved payload over the original British design. It has no lift fan and no separate engine: a single Pegasus turbofan feeds four nozzles arranged around the fuselage, and rotating them redirects the entire thrust from backwards to downwards. Pilots learned to use that in combat, swivelling the nozzles mid manoeuvre to decelerate violently and force a pursuer past, a trick known as viffing. On MCS the Harrier is a low altitude attack aircraft that answers to no airfield. It can be based on a rooftop or a clearing, works well against ground targets, and the nozzle trick genuinely defeats pilots who fly up its exhaust. It is slow, short legged and vulnerable to anything fast. Recommended for improvised basing and close support.