Lexington Park in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019

1. McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II Marker

Inscription.

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II. . , The First of Its Kind The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AV-8B Harrier II evolved from the British Hakwer Siddeley Type Number P.1127 (1957). Together, the United Kingdom, United States and Germany funded the evaluation of nine development aircraft, known as Kestrels, in 1965 to investigate the value of tactical jet V/STOL (Vertical/Short Take-Off and Loading) operations. The first tactical jet V/STOL airplane to become operational, AV-8A Harriers first joined the Marine Corps in 1971, replacing their A-4s for close air support missions. The Harrier's V/STOL capability allowed it to support ground troops from nearby unimproved fields., The AV-8B Harrier II became operational with the Marines in 1985. It featured extensive changes from the AV-8A, including a new supercritical composite wing, increased fuel capacity, a new cockpit similar to the F/A-18, new propulsion nozzles, a bubble canopy, and automatic stability control. The outrigger landing gear struts were moved inboard from the wingtips. The Marines are currently replacing their Harriers with the F-35B., Our Display Aircraft Bureau Number 161576 is the fourth production AV-8B. It flew here at NAS Patuxent River with the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate and Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron, as well as with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Five (VX-5), before it was retired in August 1999. It was added to PRNAM's flight line in January 2019.,

. Primary Mission: Close air support/light attack , . Crew: One Pilot , . U.S. Service Timeline (all versions of the AV-8B): 1985 to present , . Max. Operating Speed: 673 MPH , . Max. Gross Weight: 32,000 lb , . Propulsion: One Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-406 turbofan , . Dimensions: 46.3 ft length, 30.3 ft wing span , . Armament: One 25mm cannon plus 13,235 lb of ordnance (bombs, missiles)

, This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Triangle, Virginia. . This historical marker was erected in 2019 by Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. It is in Lexington Park in St. Mary's County Maryland

The First of Its Kind The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AV-8B Harrier II evolved from the British Hakwer Siddeley Type Number P.1127 (1957). Together, the United Kingdom, United States and Germany funded the evaluation of nine development aircraft, known as Kestrels, in 1965 to investigate the value of tactical jet V/STOL (Vertical/Short Take-Off and Loading) operations. The first tactical jet V/STOL airplane to become operational, AV-8A Harriers first joined the Marine Corps in 1971, replacing their A-4s for close air support missions. The Harrier's V/STOL capability allowed it to support ground troops from nearby unimproved fields.

The AV-8B Harrier II became operational with the Marines in 1985. It featured extensive changes from the AV-8A, including a new supercritical composite wing, increased fuel capacity, a new cockpit similar to the F/A-18, new propulsion nozzles, a bubble canopy, and automatic stability control. The outrigger landing gear struts were moved inboard from the wingtips. The Marines are currently replacing their Harriers with the F-35B.

Our Display Aircraft Bureau Number 161576

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is the fourth production AV-8B. It flew here at NAS Patuxent River with the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate and Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron, as well as with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Five (VX-5), before it was retired in August 1999. It was added to PRNAM's flight line in January 2019.

• Primary Mission: Close air support/light attack
• Crew: One Pilot
• U.S. Service Timeline (all versions of the AV-8B): 1985 to present
• Max. Operating Speed: 673 MPH
• Max. Gross Weight: 32,000 lb
• Propulsion: One Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-406 turbofan
• Dimensions: 46.3 ft length, 30.3 ft wing span
• Armament: One 25mm cannon plus 13,235 lb of ordnance (bombs, missiles)

This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Triangle, Virginia

Erected 2019 by Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military. A significant historical month for this entry is January 2019.

Location. 38° 16.571′ N, 76° 27.765′ W. Marker is in Lexington Park, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. Marker can be reached from Three Notch Road (Maryland Route 235) north

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019

2. McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II

of Buse Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22156 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park MD 20653, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey Test Aircraft No. 8 ("Eight-ball") (a few steps from this marker); Cedar Point Lighthouse (a few steps from this marker); Grumman A-6 Intruder (a few steps from this marker); Cedar Point Lighthouse Cupola (1896) (a few steps from this marker); Beech T-34B Mentor (a few steps from this marker); NC-8A Mobile Electric Power Plant (MEPP) (within shouting distance of this marker); Raytheon T-6A Texan II (within shouting distance of this marker); TA-75A Tow Tractor (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lexington Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 161 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.