The Hawker-Siddeley Harrier Gr.3 was used extensively in the Falklands war and even used guided bomb units. However, these guided bombs, Paveway II 1000lb G.P. Mk.1, could only be used when ground crews designated targets. Was a centerline targeting pod ever installed on the first generation Harriers to alleviate this issue?

https://preview.redd.it/dfcia7cqc5c81.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=19424f0b5efde9368f48e17735fb4e9c2fc10506

History

The P.1154 was a British planned supersonic Vertical/Short Take-off and Landing fighter aircraft developed by Hawker Siddley in the late early 1960s for service in the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm. It was intended as a Mach 2.0 capable aircraft and was one of the many predecessors to the Hawker Harrier. It was never produced and was cancelled by Harold Wilson's Labour government in 1965 along with the renowned BAC TSR-2. When it was cancelled, the Phantoms we see in game were adopted by the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force instead.

Ordnance

It had 4 hardpoints, capable of carrying two ordnance options; Red-Top missiles and 1000lb Medium Capacity bombs. In war thunder it would likely have the following ordnance options:

• 4x Red Tops
• 2x Red Tops
• 4x 1000lb MC bombs
• 2x 1000lb MC bombs
• 2x Red Tops & 2x 1000lb MC bombs

Performance & Statistics

Crew: 1 pilot
Engine: 1x Bristol Siddeley BS.100/9 Vectored thrust after-burning turbofan @ max of 35,170lbf
Maximum speed: Mach 1.3 at sea level; 2.0 at altitude
Service ceiling: 15km (49,000 ft)
Length: 15.06 metres (49 ft 5 in)
Wingspan 7.32 metres (24 ft)

Implementation

The P.1154 is in many regards a downgrade to the Harrier G.R.3 we have in game. While it certainly has better overall performance, it lacks both flares and chaff as countermeasures. This makes it extremely vulnerable in the current meta of top-tier War Thunder.
Furthermore, it has an extreme lack of ordnance making it largely redundant in the CAS role. To add to this, it has no ballistic computer. This means that hitting enemies accurately with ordnance is much more difficult than with the G.R.3.
For the sake of continuity and balance, I believe that the P.1154 ought to be classified as a "Strike Fighter" at a battle rating of 9.7. This would likely keep it competitive and as a viable alternative to the G.R.3. Ideally, I would like to see the P.1154 put in a folder with the Harrier G.R.3.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Superior flight performance to the G.R.3
• More air-to-air missiles (4 vs 2) than the G.R.3.
• Competitive and comparable missiles compared to the G.R.3.
• Incredibly strong in a down-tier

Cons:

• Lack of ballistic computer
• No countermeasures
• Abysmal further ordnance options for CAS
• Vulnerable to radar guided missiles
• Will get macerated in an up-tier

Balancing & Tech Tree Placement

• BR 9.7
• Strike Aircraft spawn
• Folder shared with Harrier G.R.3

The Hawker-Siddeley HS.1202 can be described as UK's F-16 Fighting Falcon with a twin-tail and a bigger airframe design than the US F-16 with a 10 foot bigger wingspan and 3.25 foot longer fuselage.

• F-16C Fighting Falcon is 49.5 feet wide and 32.8 feet long = 11 Hardpoints
• HS.1202 is 59.5 feet wide and 36.05 feet long = 16 hardpoints + 3 on the belly (Assuming the likely given its design) so really it has 19 hardpoint

It was to have a pair of 27mm cannons with 4 underwing hardpoints each on each wing, 2 wingtip rails and 6 Ventral Recessed Hardpoints

The powerplant was intended to be one Rolls-Royce RB.431 most likely the RB.431-10R with 15,850ibf dry thrust and 28,030ibf of afterburner.

HS.1202

So should the UK have gotten their own F-16? and would this have killed the Panavia Tornado?

While the F-104 have served admirably despite its flaws, it has been clear to multiple NATO air forces that it needs to be replaced in its current fighter-bomber guise. This overlap with the British Ground Attack replacement requirement, which currently is planned to be filled by Hawker Siddeley's new Heron. In search of partners to share the development costs, the British Government has made a generous offer to the governments of the nations looking to replace its F-104, which includes Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, and Canada. The Heron offers several advantages, including:

• Cheap operating and purchase price: Being a dedicated light fighter design operating using a single Spey, the Heron is extremely cheap to operate for its performance.

• Uncomplex. The Heron is a very simple straight forward fixed wing single engined design, allowing much easier maintenance work and even smaller countries like Belgium to be able to manufacture it locally.

In addition, the F-104 replacement offer includes:

• A 49% (in total) industrial share in the Heron project. This includes the construction of parts in the constituent countries through national aircraft manufacturers.

• Licensed production and technology transfer for the Heron.

M: For mods who are not into milwank, this is basically replacing the historical consortium that we're a part of. It's offering essentially the same deal to the same NATO allies, just with an established aircraft instead of a new development (Panavia Tornado). It also should attract the smaller nations the most, as it is far less complex than the historical Tornado and is far cheaper to operate - the 2 sticker point that caused them to left irl.

The Hawker-Siddeley HS.1197 Buccaneer or as it would've likely been known the Buccaneer S.3.

HS.1197 Buccaneer (Buccaneer S.3)

It was to be a deep modernisation of the Buccaneer S.2 with the ageing duralumin and steel airframe having metal replaced with newer materials including use of carbon composite and titanium material with the main landing gear going from a single wheel configuration to the double wheel main landing gear of the Jaguar whilst its wing pylons were to get improved, the HS.1197 would gain new armament including some new two 30mm ADEN cannons.

But there would have to be weight savings to do all this.

The biggest changes were the replacement of the 11,000ibf Rolls Royce RB.168-1A Spey with newer 11,560ibf Rolls-Royce RB.168-78 Spey Turbofans.

The Avoinics were to get a major upgrade replaced the outdated avionics with newer systems such as a Litton Inertial Navigation System with a Litton Central Digital Computer with a High-Definition Dual-Band Radar with Search, Ground-Mapping and Ground-Attack Modes which used an Optically-match topography map and radar with a Television Sight Display.

In the end I can see why it wasn't done as to blunt it's only delaying the inevitable retirement of the Buccaneer

Honestly the model of this aircraft looks very good and a look at what could've been the last pure-British Strike Aircraft.

The foreign authority was the source of this information. On July 16, 2020 a Hawker-Siddeley (Textron Aviation), powered by two Honeywell TFE731 5R-1H turbofan engines experienced a No. 1 (left engine) audible fire warning during cruise. The flight crew declared an emergency and made an uneventful landing at Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20200811X75847