I’ve always been puzzled by why the UK chose to go for two distinct variants-navy/air force rather than something more versatile as the AV-8B, which still remains in service and won more exports.
Thanks for the comment on the images.
As per usual in the UK we like to do things differently and not always for the best! The Sea Harrier was basically a variant straight from the Harrier GR3 airframe and obviously designed before the McDonnell Douglas collaboration. Rather than discard the Sea Harrier FRS.1 we went for an upgrade to FA2 with AMRAAM.
It worked well, but the limiting factor was the lack of space to integrate the later uprated Pegasus engines as fitted to Harrier GR9s. In hindsight we should have built the radar equipped AV-8B. With the upgraded Pegasus it would have been a great multi-role platform.