Harrier LERX

[guillaume320]

Hello Everyone,

 

Quick question: Has this Harrier on the foreground got 65% or 100% LERX?  I can't really tell from this angle...

 

Thanks and regards,

Guillaume

[PhantomBigStu]

Not with certianly but I'd say its 65%

Edited July 10, 2017 by PhantomBigStu

[Muzz]

I would agree with above, going by the shadows and the way the light reflects off the surface I'd say 65%. Might be wrong but the fact that the aircraft in the background is in the two tone green scheme suggests it's possibly taken before the introduction of the 100% LERX.

 

Here's the same aircraft with the same squadron but a different era (different name under the cockpit) when it does have 100 LERX.

 

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e4/44/15/e4441505676446943ccf2f47558ae37a.jpg

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

This list gives full details on which airframes had which LERX

http://harriersig.org.uk/models/lerxv1.pdf

[Dave Fleming]

Both have 65% LERX. Both were fitted for, but not with, 100% then refitted in service (Hence the frog eye fire extinguisher ports). 

 

You do get green aircraft with 100 LERX as well

Edited July 10, 2017 by Dave Fleming

[guillaume320]

Awesome... Thx to all who replied

 

G

[stevehnz]

14 hours ago, Dave Fleming said:

Both have 65% LERX. Both were fitted for, but not with, 100% then refitted in service (Hence the frog eye fire extinguisher ports). 

 

You do get green aircraft with 100 LERX as well

I might have to take exception with you there Dave. Looking at the pdf that Scimitar has linked to, the 100% LERX is very much of a 3 dimensional structure which is fairly obvious on the photo with the two gray aircraft in it,the 65% Lerx is much more 2D with an obvious step done to the surface of the wing LE to the LERX, unlike the 100% LERX which flows smoothly from the wing surface to the leading edge of the LERX, thats as my eyes see it anyway.

Steve.

[Dave Fleming]

3 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I might have to take exception with you there Dave. Looking at the pdf that Scimitar has linked to, the 100% LERX is very much of a 3 dimensional structure which is fairly obvious on the photo with the two gray aircraft in it,the 65% Lerx is much more 2D with an obvious step done to the surface of the wing LE to the LERX, unlike the 100% LERX which flows smoothly from the wing surface to the leading edge of the LERX, thats as my eyes see it anyway.

Steve.

 

I was referring to the original post, http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/339993/zg503-uk-air-force-british-aerospace-harrier-gr-9/

 

The second pic shows ZG503 after conversion to the 100% version.

 

 

 

 

[stevehnz]

My misunderstanding sorry Dave, by both I thought you meant both photos, in this case, I'll let you off.

Steve.

[Harrierpilot]

When the RAF harriers were built the aircraft with the "ZD" serials wewre fitted with the 65% LERX and the "ZG" serialed aircraft were fitted with the 100% LERX from new, there was no up-grade up to the 100% LERX for the Batch 3 jets.

 

By the look of the photo I waould say that it was taken about the time that the RAF Harriers where flying Op "Warden", the no-fly zone in the north of Iraq after Gulf War 1 whn all the jets assigned to the operation where fitted with the smaller 65% LERX.

 

it was proposed to fit the 100% LERX to the "ZD" jet in the JUMP program by this was cancelled to cut costs.

[Dave Fleming]

1 hour ago, Harrierpilot said:

When the RAF harriers were built the aircraft with the "ZD" serials wewre fitted with the 65% LERX and the "ZG" serialed aircraft were fitted with the 100% LERX from new, there was no up-grade up to the 100% LERX for the Batch 3 jets.

 

By the look of the photo I waould say that it was taken about the time that the RAF Harriers where flying Op "Warden", the no-fly zone in the north of Iraq after Gulf War 1 whn all the jets assigned to the operation where fitted with the smaller 65% LERX.

 

it was proposed to fit the 100% LERX to the "ZD" jet in the JUMP program by this was cancelled to cut costs.

 

6 ZG series aircraft were fitted with the 65% LERX and kept them all through their service, 13 were fitted with them at build then later retrofitted with the 100% ones  in service (carried out by the RAF). These are the ones that had the 65% LERX with the raised ("frog eye") fire extinguisher ports. The photo in the OP is one of these. A similar situation occurred with early USMC AV8B (NA)s

 

The pic  is from circa 1996 when the MOD-95 scheme was being introduced. Op Warden used a lighter grey

Edited July 23, 2017 by Dave Fleming