Winged Walrus - my only addition to what you wrote is to point out your two mentions of the pilots.
Flying the FA2, GR7 and GR 9 was a challenging treat. But the heroes of the Harrier world were the squadron maintainers and armourers - who kept all marks going in all conditions from windswept oceans to baking desert heat - and their brothers (and sisters) in arms - the yellow coats of the CVS deck. (Not that my division ever had many kind words for the chock heads!)