Q&A · 3:07:32-3:08:11

The British path toward a supersonic Harrier

Hawker's P.1154 work and the wider CVA-01-era program offered a possible path to a supersonic Harrier.

CVA-01 Harrier Jump Jet Hawker Siddeley P.1154 Naval Aviation V/STOL Aircraft

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Question

Could a lift system like the X-32's have produced a supersonic Harrier in the 1960s?

Short answer

Potentially; Britain examined supersonic V/STOL designs, notably the Hawker P.1154 linked to the CVA-01 era.

Notes

Britain did study supersonic vertical-takeoff aircraft rather than treating the subsonic Harrier as the end state. The Hawker P.1154 and related CVA-01 work show that the propulsion and configuration question was actively explored, even though no operational successor emerged.