Hawker Siddeley Harrier variant
Hawker Siddeley Harrier Harrier T.2
The first two-seat Harrier trainer, built for the RAF. To fit the second tandem cockpit the fuselage was stretched and a taller fin added to offset the change in stability, features inherited by every trainer in the family. The RAF received 25 two-seaters counting the T.2, T.2A, T.4 and T.4A series; the T.2A was distinguished by its Pegasus Mk 102.
History
Why a two-seater was needed
The Harrier was a demanding aircraft: the transition between jet-borne and wing-borne flight required careful training, and early pilots converted on a single-seater with no margin for error. An operational conversion trainer was therefore part of the programme from early on.
The design solution
The T.2 kept the single-seater's airframe in essence, with the fuselage stretched to take two tandem cockpits and a taller fin needed to restore the directional stability lost to the longer nose. The result flew the same V/STOL envelope that its students would meet later on the squadron.
Service and descendants
The RAF trained on the T.2 and T.4, the latter derived from the GR.3 combat standard. The T.2A introduced the more powerful Pegasus Mk 102. Twenty-five two-seaters were built across the series. The same line produced the naval T.4N and T.8 trainers with Sea Harrier-based avionics, and the export TAV-8A for the US Marine Corps and TAV-8S for the Spanish Navy.