If Harrier II had arrived before the first-generation Harriers, how might the type have developed?
Short answerA Harrier 3 is the likely successor, while the British would still have prized the Sea Harrier's Blue Vixen radar; a beyond-visual-range combination with AMRAAM would have been a major Falklands advantage.
NotesThe improved development line would probably produce a Harrier 3, but the Sea Harrier's Blue Vixen radar is the decisive capability in this counterfactual. Blue Vixen paired with AMRAAM would give the aircraft a beyond-visual-range interception option, with Sidewinders covering closer combat. The comparison stops short of equating the combination with the F-14 Tomcat. Radar and weapons integration, rather than airframe performance alone, would radically change the Falklands air-defence problem.