Aircraft & UAVs

Harrier GR3

Also known as

Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3
Harrier GR.3
Harrier GR3

The Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3 was a Royal Air Force V/STOL strike aircraft developed in Great Britain from the earlier Harrier GR1. RAF Museum and Pima Air & Space Museum material describe it as a ground-attack and reconnaissance variant with improved sensors, electronic countermeasures, and a more powerful Pegasus engine, and note its RAF service in Germany, Norway, Belize, and the Falklands era.

Harrier GR3, Strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Image source: Hawker-Siddeley Harrier GR3 XZ997 image

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: United Kingdom
Built by: Hawker Siddeley
Type: Strike aircraft
Service note: 1970s-early 1990s

aircraft attack aircraft close air support reconnaissance strike vtol

Specifications

Crew: 1
Role: V/STOL ground attack and reconnaissance
Wingspan: 25 ft 3 in.
Length: 45 ft 6 in.
Height: 11 ft 4 in.
Weight: 25,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum speed: 746 MPH
Service ceiling: 55,000 ft
Range: 403 miles
Engine: One Rolls-Royce Pegasus 11 Mk. 103 turbofan with 21,500 pounds of thrust

Carried Munitions

The RAF Historical Society paper identifies the Harrier GR3 as one of the RAF aircraft that entered service with BL755 in 1973.

Carried item

Item type

Carriage evidence

BL-755 cluster bomb, Air-dropped anti-armor cluster bomb, Munitions

BL-755 cluster bomb

Air-dropped cluster bomb

The RAF Historical Society paper identifies the Harrier GR3 as one of the RAF aircraft that entered service with BL755 in 1973.

Sources: ROYAL AIR FORCE HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL 45 (RAF Museum)

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service: RAF ground-attack and reconnaissance variant; served in Germany, Norway, Belize, and the Falklands era.
Used by: Royal Air Force

Media

Harrier GR3 Images

Harrier GR3, Strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1 — Source: Harrier GR3 2 image

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Sources

RAF Museum Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3Publisher: RAF Museum | Note: Supports Harrier GR3 as a Royal Air Force ground-attack and reconnaissance aircraft, its development from the GR1, and its RAF service in Germany, Norway, Belize, and the Falklands era. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Pima Hawker-Siddeley Harrier GR.3Publisher: Pima Air & Space Museum | Note: Supports Harrier GR.3 specifications, manufacturer, British development, and the variant's improved sensors, electronic countermeasures, more powerful engine, and service into the early 1990s. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Hawker-Siddeley Harrier GR3 XZ997 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Harrier GR3 photograph of RAF Museum aircraft XZ997. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Harrier GR3 2 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a second Harrier GR3 photograph on Wikimedia Commons. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 ROYAL AIR FORCE HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL 45 (RAF Museum)Publisher: RAF Museum | Note: Supports Harrier GR3 carriage of BL-755 by identifying the type as one of the RAF aircraft that entered service with BL755 in 1973. | Accessed: 2026-06-27