Does Harrier carry TIALD?

[Jimlad]

Guys, dumb question time. Do the GR7 / 9's routinely carry TIALD thingys on training / ops or is it only a fitted for but not with capability?

VMT

[Navaleye]

I believe it was carried and used during TELIC on the starboard gun mounting point. It meant that the GR7 could carry additional weapons over the AV8B because it did not occupy a weapons hardpoint.

[HOODED]

I believe not all aircraft are modified but those that are do not always cary TIALD. Numbers of pods are limited and are currently shared between Jag/Tornado and Harrier. Hope this helps.

[SSSETOWTF]

JimLad,

Harriers used TIALD in Op Allied Force + Telic and regularly train with it. The only problem, as mentioned above, is that there just aren't enough to go round. Seeing as it's pretty much your primary weapon system, that might seem a little daft, but that's just the way of the world and MOD procurement. If you want to split hairs, it goes on the left strake station.

As Navaleye says, Litening II ER/AT goes on a wing station. But it's a much better pod (I've used both) and the USMC have bought a huge pile of them. So we train with them more often. There was an interesting article in AFM recently, written by some ignorant buffoon, singing the praises of the GR7 over the AV8B in Op Iraqi Freedom/Telic. Being able to carry one bomb less per pair of jets (only one takes a pod) is obviously less cool, but the advantages of a higher resolution TV and FLIR to find and identify targets shouldn't be ignored. When you throw in the benefits of the IR marker, I'm afraid I'll take the Litening pod option every single time.

[Jimlad]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.