Legendary Harrier Finds Home at Pima Air and Space Museum

View Online Legendary Harrier Finds Home at Pima Air and Space Museum Feb. 28, 2025 | By David Vergun A retired and demilitarized AV-8B Harrier II+ was inducted into the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, Feb. 14, 2025.  "This is a unique opportunity to preserve and share a vital chapter in aviation history while playing a valuable role in inspiring future generations," said Marine Corps Col. Mark Amspacher, program manager for the AV-8B Weapon Systems Program Office at Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland.  "I hope this piece of Marine Corps history and embodiment of innovation, courage and dedication motivates younger generations to consider a career in aviation and service within the Marine Corps," he said.  This aircraft, tail number, BUNO 165574, initially entered service Jan. 14, 1986, as an AV-8B Day Attack aircraft and was later remanufactured as an AV-8B II+ radar aircraft, July 31, 2001.   It flew with Marine Attack Squadrons (VMA) 311, 223, 214, 513 and 231, logging 1,539 combat flight hours and a total of 9,671 flight hours in support of multiple Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments, Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, humanitarian efforts and request for forces.  "It is the top surviving Harrier in total combat hours, and the National Naval Aviation Museum is thrilled to place this historic aircraft on loan to the Pima Air and Space Museum," said Bonnie Towne, aircraft loan manager at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.  This is the second AV-8B Harrier II+ to be inducted into a museum as the Harrier continues to sundown. The first, BUNO 164560, was inducted into the Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, North Carolina, July 15, 2024.  The AV-8B Weapon Systems Program Office, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Aircraft Group-14 and VMA-231 oversaw the comprehensive process of demilitarizing the aircraft and ensured it was safe to display.  Louie Sanchez, AV-8B assistant program manager for logistics, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, said the demilitarization procedure, involves defueling the aircraft, removing any hydraulic fluids, removing all of the crypto gear and explosives that are used for launching the ejection seat and other items.  Even with the removal of these items, the aircraft will still appear to be a real Harrier to visitors at the museum, as the items removed aren't visible, he said.  Marine Pilot Flies Harrier's Last Mission  Marine Corps Maj. Robert "Robin" Weede, AV-8B Harrier pilot and maintenance officer assigned to VMA-231, flew this aircraft from El Centro, California, where it participated in an exercise, Feb. 12, 2025, to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was demilitarized the next day and then towed to the museum's restoration hangar, where Marines from VMA-231 conducted their final steps.  VMA-231 will become Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-231 Oct. 1, 2025, when the squadron transitions to the new F-35 Lighting II jets, which can also take off and land vertically, Weede said.  The Harrier has been a part of Marine Corps aviation for many decades, and Weede said he was honored and emotional about being chosen to pilot this aircraft's last flight. "I'm just like, 'Wow, this is the last time it's gonna fly, and I got to be the one that shut it down for the last time,'" he said.  Flying the Harrier is like "riding the dragon," he continued. "It's a crazy airplane to fly. It's super fun. Everything's by hand. It's one of the few, I think, the only airplane the Defense Department has left that doesn't have a fly-by-wire system. Everything you do is connected by pulley to the flight controls, pretty old school. So, you really have to really fly the airplane, and it's pretty unforgiving but very fun if you can do it."  Museum Loan Procedure  Occasionally, museums will request a particular aircraft that is scheduled to retire, said Larry Burke, aviation curator at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.   Normally, the Marine Corps is happy to loan out two or three of a particular aircraft model to museums and even presidential libraries in the case of the Marine One helicopters, he said.   Exceptions might be if a particular airframe was involved in a Medal of Honor mission or comes with a significant combat history. In that case, the number could increase, he said.  Burke noted that he uses the term "lends" because all aircraft on display are lent out for a year at a time. The loan can then be renewed, depending on how well they are being displayed and maintained, including checking the aircraft paint, cleanliness, inspecting for evidence of corrosion and hydraulic fluid leaks.  Each year, the museums provide these condition reports, along with how they're remediating any signs of early problems. Burke said sometimes the registrar makes a site visit, particularly if they're already in the area.  The registrar, he said, is responsible for keeping track of the legal aspects of the loans, if the museum's standards are suitable for aircraft displays and if the aircraft is being properly maintained.  The Smithsonian Institution is the only museum that can receive military aircraft without being on loan from Quantico or the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, as it's written into their establishing legislation, he said.   The museum and the Marine Corps aviation units often share responsibilities for getting the aircraft moved to the museum, with Burke helping with coordination of that effort. If the aircraft is flyable, then the squadron can simply fly it in. Otherwise, it would need to be trucked in, and then the borrowing museum would make those cost arrangements, he said. Burke noted that the National Naval Aviation Museum has a similar arrangement as the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The two often coordinate efforts, since the Marine Corps is part of the Department of the Navy, with both loaning out Marine Corps aircraft.  In the case of this Harrier being loaned to the Pima Air and Space Museum, the National Naval Aviation Museum is the one that loaned it.  More About the Harrier  The Harrier is a vertical/short takeoff and landing, light attack jet utilized by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Italian and Spanish navies. In service for four decades, its mission is to destroy surface targets and escort friendly aircraft in austere conditions during expeditionary, joint and combined operations.  The platform provides close and deep air support, including armed reconnaissance and air interdiction, and conducts offensive and defensive antiaircraft warfare. The AV-8B Harrier II+ can operate from aircraft carriers and other suitable seagoing platforms, advanced bases, expeditionary airfields and remote tactical landing sites, offering versatility, firepower and mobility to effectively counter enemies engaged by U.S. and allied ground forces.  Sanchez said that of the remaining 36 Marine Corps Harriers, 15 have been identified as available for delivery to be flown on their own, trucked or lifted by to various museums around the nation in the coming months. The 15 were selected for their combat records, each with a unique story to tell.

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