USMC Harrier Paint Schemes

[ChocksAway]

Chaps

Can anyone point me in the direction to a guide / site / document etc that details the various paint schemes that have been applied over the years to the USMC Harriers. I'm looking for something that shows the schemes, (names thereof if they had one), the FS paint references and the a/c variants / squadrons that wore them. My ignorance of USMC Harriers is pretty complete, so not sure if this is a lot of material or fairly simple to obtain. I've got bits and pieces, but it's always good to get a second opinion.

If there's a good photo of the scheme to illustrate so much the better.

What I have...

AV-8A

dark green (FS34064) / dark grey (FS36099) disruptive upper over light gull grey (FS360440 (originally gloss, then matt). Only scheme applied?

AV-8B

as above (but matt only),

also without the light gull grey (so wraparound),

dark gull grey (FS32631) and European green (FS34092) wraparound?

dark ghost grey (FS36230) and light ghost grey (FS36375)

HTPS -dark sea grey (FS36118), dark gull grey (FS36321) and dark ghost grey (FS36230)

Thanks

[Dave Fleming]

Chaps

Can anyone point me in the direction to a guide / site / document etc that details the various paint schemes that have been applied over the years to the USMC Harriers. I'm looking for something that shows the schemes, (names thereof if they had one), the FS paint references and the a/c variants / squadrons that wore them. My ignorance of USMC Harriers is pretty complete, so not sure if this is a lot of material or fairly simple to obtain. I've got bits and pieces, but it's always good to get a second opinion.

If there's a good photo of the scheme to illustrate so much the better.

What I have...

AV-8A

dark green (FS34064) / dark grey (FS36099) disruptive upper over light gull grey (FS360440 (originally gloss, then matt). Only scheme applied?

AV-8B

as above (but matt only),

also without the light gull grey (so wraparound),

dark gull grey (FS32631) and European green (FS34092) wraparound?

dark ghost grey (FS36230) and light ghost grey (FS36375)

HTPS -dark sea grey (FS36118), dark gull grey (FS36321) and dark ghost grey (FS36230)

Thanks

Chocks,

I've got all this on t'other PC, but basically:

AV8A (i) RAF colours

(ii) As mentioned above

(iii) A winter version of the above, with white replacing the green

AV-8B - each of the first 4 FSD aircraft carried different schemes - 3 tone gray. white red and gold and 2 green/grey/grey, - then the same scheme as the AV-8A, then a wrap round version*; Then things get complicated. The first HTPS was introduced, with slightly different colours to the one that was to become standard, BUT the first aircraft ('000') had only two greys. The Iraq War saw three grey/grey schemes (Two variations on wrap round and a singel overall light gray) before they sandardised on the HTPS.

In recent years, they experimented again with the scheme, firstly dropping the 36118 saddle (which left a scheme similar to the Italian aircraft) before settling on the latest dark grey scheme.

Added to that an experimental sand/brown finish and at least two potential variations of a Winter gray based wrapround (late 80s), an experimental scheme on the first AV-8B+ and a grey/red/blue demo aircaft and it all gets fun!!

* Oh, and the first carrier deployemnt all had the leading edges painted sand coloured 'tank paint' as the paint came off on the composite structure)

Give me the week end and I'll dig out the stuff.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Dave Fleming

[Dave Fleming]

Just remembered another one - there was one painted in the 'have Glass' style metallic shades

Off to bed now, but you've got my email!!

Added AV-8A/C -

One in NASA colours, and a couple with dayglo

And of course the AV-8C prototype in white. red, and the YAV-8Bs in red/white blue and NASA

Edited March 13, 2010 by Dave Fleming

[thx6667]

There was also the AV-8A that carried a temporary desert camo scheme, its illustrated in the Warbird Tech book but, frustratingly, only in black and white!

Also the caveat about some of the Desert Storm schemes is that some of the greys were non-standard and were applied en route- as the story goes they someone took a Styrofoam coffee cup full of black paint, added it to stocks of grey and viola, a new shade of grey.