The Hawker-Siddley Harrier, the famed ‘Jump Jet’ could swivel its exhaust nozzles down to allow it to take off vertically. The Hawker-Siddley Harrier, the famed ‘Jump Jet’ could swivel its exhaust nozzles down to allow it to take off vertically.

With its usual professionalism, the British Army had prepared for war. Now, as the Soviet Army flooded across the border into West Germany, it was ready and waiting. Fox, Scorpion and Scimitar recon vehicles skirmished with the Soviet forward detachments as the Challenger and Chieftain armoured regiments waited. The infantry held the towns and woods, forcing the enemy into killing zones, new Warrior infantry fighting vehicles in fire support. If anything broke through, the airmobile troops in their Lynx helicopters would hold them. The British Army is ready.

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The RAF use this capability to base the Harrier out of supermarket car parks and other concealed locations close to the front, reducing the interference from Soviet aircraft and allowing a higher sortie rate than conventional aircraft.

Armed with an electrically-powered 30mm Aden 5-chamber revolver cannon and BL-755 anti-tank cluster bombs, the Harrier is deadly against both air and ground targets.