The cockpit of a Harrier jet, and we mean just the cockpit, has been spotted on the deck of aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
The vessel isn’t going to start operating Harriers, get that out of your head right now.
Amy Savage, a renowned naval photographer in the Portsmouth area, captured the following image.
I really recommend following Amy on Twitter as she frequently posts great snaps of the ships coming and going from Portsmouth. You can find Amy on Twitter by clicking here or going to her profile at @AmzJS13.
👋 Wildcat ZZ396 landing on @HMSPWLS 🇬🇧 #FlyNavy @RoyalNavy @RNASYeovilton @HMNBPortsmouth @PortsmouthProud @NavyLookout @UKDefJournal pic.twitter.com/5vjzH7zvwZ
— Amy Savage (@AmzJS13) September 1, 2021
Why is it there?
https://twitter.com/AmzJS13/status/1433060134679371777/photo/4
https://twitter.com/AmzJS13/status/1433060134679371777/photo/4
What is HMS Prince of Wales doing?
The vessel is preparing for the next carrier qualification trial that’s coming up later this year. For this deployment, Lightning Team UK will need to ready six F-35s for another at-sea deployment. The first F-35 landed on HMS Prince of Wales earlier this year.
The only reason I can think of in the context of qualifying PoW is that they are going to use the Harrier Cockpit so that deck emergency teams can train in pilot rescue techniques. Bad news for what is left of that Harrier, but could be vital if / when someone does prang an F35 on a QEC.
Cheers CR
Or the USMC are thinking of embarking an AV8B squadron on her.
Hi Dern,
Unlikely I can’t see the USMC wanting to look less capable than than their little cousins from across the pond 🙂
Cheers CR
it is the trailered cockpit pilot fire rescue training pod. used by the fire teams to practise crew rescue.
Must be for training to enable interoperability with the US marines.
Well spotted shot
Morning George. I hope you are well. There is a problem with the page on the Changing of the Guard such that we cannot comment. Please can it be fixed and as the article is now”stale” in the current position- can it be brought forward to allow fresh eyes? Many thanks and kind regards from Durban(currently 31 degrees and humid!)
I had the same thought as ChariotRider. I reckon it’s for flight deck emergency training of some sort.
Does it really matter why it’s on-board? The Navy obviously thinks so otheriwse they’d hardly load it on the POW to take on a world cruise just for the fun or uselessness of it.
The new replacements for the F35B as we can’t afford to buy them anymore…a few second hand harriers will do the job says BoJo…who needs fifth generation fighters when you have the good old harrier…we’ll rename as harrier as a sixth generation fighter and rename it the tempest aircraft….no one will know the difference…Tongue firmly in cheek….
“…a few second hand harriers will do the job says BoJo…who needs fifth generation fighters when you have the good old harrier…we’ll rename as harrier as a sixth generation fighter and rename it the tempest aircraft….”
Throw in a “world beating” or two and I reckon you’ve nailed it.
Yes forgot the old “world beating” as BoJo ziplines down the Eiffel Tower…You know he has such a wondeful relationship with our French allies and partners (tongue firmly in cheak again) that they want to host our nuclear deterrent…after the Scots kick us out. We’ll park the subs in the champs elysees and pay entrance fees for their maintenance..
I’m afraid the cost of F35 buy is just the beginning.
The workshare element means the parts are repaired all over the world
Till Turkey got stuffed they were going to carry out all major maintenance on the aircraft structure.
Now it might go anywhere. The aircraft will be serviced in bits all over the world.
Interestingly the data dump the aircraft garners in service goes only to America. And if they choose to tell us what is occurring and where…they might drop us a post it note.
Special relationship? Yes like mine with Tesco
Oh so true…concur you with Philip. My special relationship is with Waitrose…
If the number on the side is 123 (certainly looks like it), it’ll be XV786 – a GR3. The cockpit was trailer mounted in the early nineties and used at Culdrose’s fire section. The cockpit is likely on POW to facilitate at-sea training opportunities, alongside the Banshee drones she has embarked. Why use an expensive replica when you have an inventory of items such as this that can replicate an emergency situation? Of course, the layout is slightly different, but the main thing is using aids such as this to train people in doing the right thing and saving the… Read more »
Well at least existing assets are being used to a worthwhile end.
I’m sure those that built her would be pleased she was still was playing a role.
not sure us Dunsfold boys are happy
Right.
We still have working Navy harriers at Culdrose, couldn’t we find a use for them on the carriers?
A late Harrier burial at sea I should think. Cameron signed the death warrant in 2010….
And king Neptune will look good sitting in the Harrier cotpit for future crossing the line ceremonies he could well be Smac trained as well
SMAC 233…now that takes me back!
I progressed from that to eventually being an FDO.
I should have gone wafu 8 hrs max a day got stitched for Smac 19 in 1977 then same course renamed Smac 233 March 82 not a lot of time off that year
I thought those were used for training deck movements ? etc so on and so forth they had a chalk line of HMS invincible and they shuffled the harriers around 😃 no need for fancy tech a bit of tarmac is all that’s needed👍🏻🇬🇧🏴
Yeah I remember watching that on tv lol, I think they have more mock-ups of F35s to use new.blob:https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/a014b083-a3e2-450a-a9fc-793c93a39ecf
They are. SOFDO.
They are not capable of flight. Ground movements only for flight deck training.
Lack of Manufacturer support, means and removal of extended flight hours on airframes.
The SHAR2s that were used for ground handling are the only UK Harriers with hours on Airframes, along with one T.
Here was me hoping it was a film set for a second True Lies movie.
Would Arnie be able to fit now it was the early nineties S M L sized harriers XXL for Arnie
He did used to be a tank driver 🙂
Along with Tom cruise and Val Kilmer
We still have a few operational harriers and are used for ground training.. oh ..and they can fly with a little work but are incompatible with most of the modern weapons systems
Hi, lm ex RAF, l thk its poss there for training, to practice lift outs of cockpit after a deck landing crash. You cant afford to use the f35 n damage it training also on the chance visiting operators of the harrier to the ship gives fire section handlers familiarity n current in emergency procedures
He-he!
Calm down George 😊
It looks like half a harrier
Now thats what should of been left at karzai airport,would of been awesome watching the taliban trying to fly half an harrier
Burial at see for the last few airframes that were hanging around.
Harriers gone from the UK way before there time,come to think about it said that about the Ford Capri 😀.