Credit
USN · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified
FORCETALLY
Loading the evidence…
Preparing your view.
Preparing your view.
At a glance
Measured figures
AV-8B Harrier II Plus · Length
Single sourceOfficial specification · AV-8B-Harrier; 46 ft. 4 in. (14.12 m)
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II | Shenyang J-16 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | V/STOL ground-attack aircraft[source] | — |
| National origin | United Kingdom / United States[source] | People's Republic of China[source] |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas / British Aerospace Boeing / BAE Systems[source] | Shenyang Aircraft Corporation[source] |
| Status | In limited service[source] | In service[source] |
Length
Single source21.9 m (71 ft 10 in)[source]
Empty; AV-8B Harrier II Plus · Empty weight
Single sourceGross; AV-8B Harrier II Plus · Gross weight
Single sourceMaximum take-off; AV-8B Harrier II Plus · Rolling takeoff
Single sourceMaximum take-off; AV-8B Harrier II Plus · Vertical takeoff
Single source13,968 lb (6,340 kg)[source]
22,950 lb (10,410 kg)[source]
Rolling takeoff: 31,000 lb (14,100 kg) Vertical takeoff: 20,755 lb (9,415 kg)[source]
Empty; Empty weight
Single sourceMaximum take-off; Max takeoff weight
Single sourceAV-8B Harrier II Plus · Combat range
Single source300 nmi (350 mi, 556 km)[source]
AV-8B Harrier II Plus · 1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) vectored-thrust turbofan thrust
Single source1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) vectored-thrust turbofan , 23,500 lbf (105 kN) thrust[source]
2 × Shenyang WS-10B afterburning turbofans with afterburner
Single source2 × Shenyang WS-10B afterburning turbofans , 135 kN (30,000 lbf) with afterburner[source]
AV-8B Harrier II Plus · Hardpoints : 6× under-wing pylon and 1x under-fuselage stations holding up to of payload
Single sourceHardpoints : 6× under-wing pylon and 1x under-fuselage stations holding up to 9,200 lb (4,200 kg) of payload:[source]
Service ceiling
Single source17,300 m (56,800 ft)[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Primary users | United States Marine Corps Italian Navy Spanish Navy[source] | — |
|---|
| Number built | AV-8B: 337 (excluding the YAV-8B)[source] | ~ 470 - ~ 500 (As of 2026 )[source] |
|---|
| Manufactured | 1981–2003[source] | 2017–present[source] |
|---|
| Introduction date | January 1985[source] | 2015–16[source] |
|---|
| First flight | YAV-8B: 9 November 1978 AV-8B: 5 November 1981[source] 25 May 1968; Operational Capability: July 1971.[source] | — |
|---|
| Retired | 3 June 2026 (USMC)[source] | — |
|---|
| Developed from | Hawker Siddeley Harrier[source] | Shenyang J-11 Su-30MKK[source] |
|---|
| Variant | British Aerospace Harrier II[source] | — |
|---|
| Guns | 1× General Dynamics GAU-12 Equalizer 25 mm (0.984 in) 5-barreled rotary cannon mounted under-fuselage in the left pod, with 300 rounds of ammunition in the right pod[source] | — |
|---|
| Hardpoints | 6× under-wing pylon and 1x under-fuselage stations holding up to 9,200 lb (4,200 kg) of payload:[source] | Munitions on 12 external hardpoints, including:[source] |
|---|
| Airfoil | supercritical airfoil[source] | — |
|---|
| Rolling takeoff | 31,000 lb (14,100 kg)[source] | — |
|---|
| Vertical takeoff | 20,755 lb (9,415 kg)[source] | — |
|---|
| Wing loading | 94.29 lb/sq ft (460.4 kg/m 2 )[source] | — |
|---|
| Thrust/weight | 0.948[source] | — |
|---|
| Rockets | LAU-10 four-round Zuni pods LAU-68 (7 round) or LAU-61 (19 round) rocket pods for Hydra 70 / APKWS 70 mm rockets[source] | — |
|---|
| Missiles | Air-to-air missiles : 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or similar-sized infrared-guided missiles 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM (on radar equipped AV-8B Plus variants) Air-to-surface missiles : 4× AGM-65 E/F Maverick 4x AGM-122 Sidearm ( SEAD missile used by USMC)[source] | — |
|---|
| Bombs | CBU-100 /Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster bombs (CBUs) Mark 81, 82, or 83 unguided bombs GBU-12 or GBU-16 laser-guided bombs GBU-38 , GBU-32 , or GBU-54 Joint Direct Attack Munitions Mark 77 fire bomb[source] | — |
|---|
| Others | up to 4× 300/330/370 US Gallon drop tanks (pylon stations No. 2, 3, 5, & 6 are wet plumbed) Intrepid Tiger II electronic jammer Mk106 (6.6 lb (3 kg)) and Mk76 (31 lb (14 kg)) practice bombs[source] | — |
|---|
| Role | — | Multirole strike fighter[source] |
|---|
| Primary user | — | People's Liberation Army Air Force[source] |
|---|
| g limits | — | +9[source] |
|---|
4,000 km (2,500 mi, 2,200 nmi)[source]