I agree with USNBandit. The Harrier is a technical exercise that became operational, a computer video game made real in aluminum and steel. Nothing more. It is interesting, has a sexy profile, plan form and fantasy potential, but that's it. It's a concept, not a weapons system.
***Virtually no mention of the A2A discrepancy, almost all opinion & little fact, low F/O ratio.
Quite frankly, I don't sense any obligation on my part to respond to an Internet fighter pilot postulating in his pajamas. You may think, by virtue of your onerously recited scholarship, that is only exceeded by your lack of personal experience, that you are the expert. The reality is you are like a virgin attempting to explain intercourse to others who have lost their cherries many times and long ago. You bore the rest of us. In fact, I doubt if you even know how to contact ATIS.