The Harrier GR3 was a British V/STOL strike and reconnaissance aircraft that developed the RAF's first-generation Harrier into a more capable ground-attack variant. Museum sources describe improved attack sensors, electronic countermeasures, and the Pegasus 103 engine, while IWM and RAF Museum records document No. 1 Squadron GR3 operations from HMS Hermes and the Port San Carlos forward strip during the 1982 Falklands War.
RAF No. 1 Squadron Harrier GR3s operated from HMS Hermes and the Port San Carlos forward strip during the Falklands War, flying ground-attack and reconnaissance sorties with bombs, cluster bombs, rockets, and later laser-guided bombs against Argentine positions, airfields, fuel targets, and troop concentrations.
The GR3 entered the South Atlantic as a land-based RAF strike aircraft adapted to expeditionary carrier operations. RAF Museum and IWM records place No. 1 Squadron aircraft aboard HMS Hermes, then at the Port San Carlos forward strip, where they could launch ground-attack and reconnaissance sorties without a conventional runway.
HMS Hermes and the Port San Carlos forward operating base.
RAF Museum chronology says the forward strip let GR3s wait on ground alert while awaiting tasking.
1,000 lb bombs, BL755 cluster bombs, rockets, AIM-9 Sidewinder, ADEN cannon, and Paveway II laser-guided bombs appear across museum records.
The exact load varied by sortie and aircraft.
The GR3's most visible change from earlier RAF Harriers was the elongated nose carrying a Ferranti 106 laser ranger and marked target seeker. Dunsfold history also identifies radar-warning receiver aerials and a side-looking camera for basic reconnaissance, while RAF Museum material ties the Harrier concept to dispersed operations from rough strips and camouflaged hides.
Ferranti 106 LRMTS in an elongated nose.
Radar-warning receiver equipment added over earlier RAF Harriers.
A side-looking camera provided basic reconnaissance capability.
The GR3 sat within the RAF's first-generation Harrier line after the GR1 and GR1A, pairing the Pegasus 11 Mk.103 engine with the elongated LRMTS nose, radar-warning receiver equipment, and a reconnaissance camera.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Harrier GR1 | Initial RAF single-seat ground-attack Harrier | RAF Museum material describes the GR3 as a development of the GR1, and Dunsfold history treats the GR1 as the first production RAF attack Harrier baseline. Sources: RAF Museum Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3, Dunsfold First-Generation Harriers |
| Harrier GR1A | Re-engined RAF GR1 development | Dunsfold identifies the GR1A as the Pegasus 10 Mk.102 step between the original GR1 and the later Pegasus 11-powered GR3. Sources: Dunsfold First-Generation Harriers |
| Harrier T4 | Two-seat conversion trainer | Dunsfold describes the T4 as the GR3-era two-seat trainer counterpart with similar equipment, including the LRMTS fit. Sources: Dunsfold First-Generation Harriers |
| Sea Harrier FRS1 | Royal Navy navalized first-generation derivative | Dunsfold treats the Sea Harrier as a Royal Navy first-generation Harrier development adapted for naval service and central to the Falklands air campaign. Sources: Dunsfold First-Generation Harriers |
Museum and RAF historical sources document the GR3 with unguided bombs, cluster bombs, rockets, Sidewinder missiles, cannon armament, and Paveway II laser-guided bombs.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 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) |
 | 1,000 lb laser-guided bomb | IWM photographs identify No. 1 Squadron Harrier GR.3s on HMS Hermes carrying Paveway II laser-guided bombs during the Falklands deployment, and the RAF Museum XZ997 history records late-campaign laser-guided bomb sorties. Sources: IWM Harrier GR.3 prepared for Falklands sortie with Paveway II, IWM No. 1 Squadron Harrier GR.3s on HMS Hermes, RAF Museum Harrier GR3 XZ997 individual history |
 | Short-range air-to-air missile | IWM identifies a No. 1 Squadron RAF Harrier GR3 aboard HMS Hermes with an AIM-9 Sidewinder mounted on the port wing during the Falklands War. Sources: IWM Harrier GR3 with AIM-9 Sidewinder on HMS Hermes |
 | 30 mm aircraft cannon | Dunsfold describes first-generation Harriers as using paired ADEN Mk4 cannon pods, and IWM ties an ADEN Mk4 cannon to a Harrier GR3 that saw action in the Falklands conflict. Sources: Dunsfold First-Generation Harriers, Aden Mk4 - Imperial War Museums |
Dunsfold history places the Harrier Conversion Team at Wittering in January 1969 and No. 1 Squadron using the type in the attack role later that year.
Sources: Dunsfold First-Generation Harriers
IWM records its GR.3 airframe entering service in July 1976, and Pima identifies the GR.3 as a 1970s ground-attack and reconnaissance development of the earlier Harrier.
Sources: BAe Harrier GR.3 - Imperial War Museums, Pima Hawker-Siddeley Harrier GR.3
BAE Systems Heritage records Hawker Siddeley Aviation and Dynamics being nationalized and merged with British Aircraft Corporation to create British Aerospace.
Sources: BAE Systems Heritage Hawker Siddeley
RAF Museum's 1982 chronology records six No. 1 Squadron Harrier GR3s reaching the task force on Atlantic Conveyor, with four flown to HMS Hermes on 18 May and the rest arriving on 19-20 May.
Sources: British Military Aviation in 1982 - RAF Museum
RAF Museum's chronology states that three No. 1 Squadron GR3s made the type's first campaign attack against a fuel dump at Fox Bay, West Falkland.
Sources: British Military Aviation in 1982 - RAF Museum
The Port San Carlos forward operating base began supporting Harrier and Sea Harrier aircraft, allowing GR3s to sit on ground alert closer to tasking areas.
Sources: British Military Aviation in 1982 - RAF Museum
RAF Museum's XZ997 history records a Harrier GR3 laser-guided bomb mission against an enemy company headquarters on Mount Tumbledown late in the campaign.
Sources: RAF Museum Harrier GR3 XZ997 individual history
