Hawker Harrier

The Hawker Harrier of 1927 was a British experimental two-seat biplane built by Hawker to an Air Ministry specification of the 1920s, and is not the later Hawker Siddeley Harrier jet. In 1925 the Air Ministry issued Specifications 23/25 for a high-altitude bomber to replace the Hawker Horsley and 24/25 for a coastal torpedo bomber, and held one competition for both. Sydney Camm designed the Harrier, a single-bay biplane with a geared Bristol Jupiter VIII radial engine, one Vickers and one Lewis gun and up to 1,000 lb of bombs. The prototype, J8325, first flew in February 1927 and reached Martlesham Heath in November. It proved underpowered and could not take off with a torpedo, so the Vickers Vildebeest won, and Bristol later used the prototype as an engine testbed.