Any chance of the AV-8B Harrier II plus?

I think we’ll probably see the FRS1 first in any case, but that’s a very USMC attitude. They treat aviation like flying artillery. Other operators see the harrier as much more of a multi role aircraft. It’s true strength is it’s VSTOL basing, and while its very well suited to those mission sets you mentioned, it’s no slouch as a dogfighter either. I’ve seen hornet drivers get spanked by it on several occasions.

 

I think having a jack of all trades that can do VSTOL as well would be very welcome but that’s me.

I would like to think the Plus would come first, or be more likely because of cockpit and many other avionics functionality being shared with AV8B N/A and due to similarities between APG65 radar and APG73 on ED's Hornet.

a New FM and new 3d model is needed but thats still time saved in development relative to a totally different harrier derivative requiring everything done from scratch. AS Razbam said way back when N/A was announced that they would have already went towards developed the plus if only ED had A/G code ready.

And i agree having a more fleshing out jack of all trades ground attack is very nice. However even so the Radar on the harrier won't truly make it a fighter. Harrier plus is a very poor mans fleet defender. Itl come at the case of extra weight ( worse T/W and climb and worse turning.) and harrier N/A is already a relatively slowish subsonic jet. I dont think Razbam would be able to find new enough documentation to get AIm120 operating procedures for plus as they were only integrated into USMC operated harriers 2011 at earliest. So if PLUS happens it will likely be a pre 2011 model and thus have no BVR capability. Although Radar has advantages as you can have the radar to slew AIm9's or to provide gunsight computed gunnery solutions. Even if did get AMRAAM, it wouldnt be able to match the standoff distance of a Hornet let alone a viper because as we know launching them at higher speeds allows missile to be lobbed further.

In my experience flying N/A it its quite overrated as a dogfighter. Its a much chunkier boi than the older sea harriers and GR1/3's which most harrier fans seem to refer when talking of dogfighting. If a Harrier is not armed with Aim9's , I find its actually easier to dogfight and win with a F86F or Mig15 against a av8b N/A than it is for N/A to win Against those, let alone a Hornet. granted N/A it lacks radar aid to provide guns solution, so there is that.

That might be true, but first ED has to perfect the ground radar and make the ground radar API available. Then it would probably be fairly easy to shoe the Harrier II Plus in.

But before that I think RB wants to get the South Atlantic (Falklands War) project out to the public, so IMHO they'll be putting their efforts into the Sea Harrier before the Plus.

We need DCS AG radar solution.

Solution is coming!

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4288903&postcount=184

Seems like everyone is waiting ED to get A-G developed...

Wishful thinking......we're getting this soon

Wouldn't hold my breath for this. We are all witnesses on how the current "simpler" Harrier, the N/A version is doing and how it's development is progressing...

That's exactly why I consider it likely that we will get the II+ eventually. It's a low hanging fruit. After all the work put into the NA it is much easier to add the radar than to start another  5+ years development of a completely new similar complex aircraft. On the other side they could very well be fully occupied with the F-15E for this decade.

The + variant is basically just a radar page to MFCD, copied from the hornet, a original already modeled radar variant throttle that Razbam mistakenly made first and was required to change to N/A throttle not long time ago (adds one button and radar vertical slew axis), and then remodeling of Harrier nose cone, removing the DMT sensor. What comes to flight modeling, it is weight adjustments more than aerodynamics.

It is not for nothing that N/A and + share same flight manual that list just the few differences otherwise.

So hard part would be done if ED would give the radar SDK as Razbam just needs to copy the Hornet AG and AA radar modes.

Easiest way to get a another $80 module out....

2 hours ago, Vakarian said:

Wouldn't hold my breath for this. We are all witnesses on how the current "simpler" Harrier, the N/A version is doing and how it's development is progressing...

There are claims that Harrier gets completed this year, sooner than autumn.

Meaning we likely only see the couple small things added, like one of them is now hyped thermal cueing system on their Facebook page. And then they call it done.

7 hours ago, Fri13 said:

....

 

There are claims that Harrier gets completed this year, sooner than autumn.

 

Meaning we likely only see the couple small things added, like one of them is now hyped thermal cueing system on their Facebook page. And then they call it done.

I literally don't care about the new features to the Harrier while we have bugs that are festering for years without any hint of them actually being looked at. In my opinion, all these new shiny things (nobody asked for in a first place) are just a tactic to make community look away from all those broken and half-implemented features

11 hours ago, Vakarian said:

I literally don't care about the new features to the Harrier while we have bugs that are festering for years without any hint of them actually being looked at. In my opinion, all these new shiny things (nobody asked for in a first place) are just a tactic to make community look away from all those broken and half-implemented features

I agree. 

From a 100 features we have 60 and 30 of those are broken. And we should be happy when they add 5 new features that 3 are broken to begin with? 

We still do not have properly working INS or DMT. 

Our targeting pod is broken, and so is even our TDC control broken that is required to use all those!

"But hey, look at this hand - see this fancy stuff in my hand? Do you see it? Puff... It's gone! Magic!"

(and no one noticed the elephant in a room). 

On 12/6/2017 at 9:48 PM, arkasha_s_mishkoi said:

So, you guys will have it when hornet release. But why ED just cant give it to you right now, before we get? Or they just havent made it yet? And the last question: does it mean 100% yes for plus? You will have the radar anyway.

 

Hahahahahahahahah, then went well. But yes now that it's five years later a s there is an API for air to ground radar this would be an interesting upgrade the the AV8B we currently have. With a TGP the DMT is kinda redundant anyway. And having a Harrier that can do all the things would be pretty freaking awesome. 

On 4/15/2022 at 2:10 PM, FlankerKiller said:

Hahahahahahahahah, then went well. But yes now that it's five years later a s there is an API for air to ground radar this would be an interesting upgrade the the AV8B we currently have. With a TGP the DMT is kinda redundant anyway. And having a Harrier that can do all the things would be pretty freaking awesome. 

I leave the TGP at the farp for VTOL ops in leiu of more fuel.  DMT is great for that.

19 hours ago, HawkEXO said:

I leave the TGP at the farp for VTOL ops in leiu of more fuel.  DMT is great for that.

If DMT has FLIR, you might be right, but unfortunately it doesn't. How useful is DMT for an aircraft called the AV-8B Night Attack? It's ironic isn't it?

I would love to see the harrier 2+ in game as well. I understand the USMC didnt really go for the AIM-120 on it but Spain and Italy did, would be fun to have that capability.

How about we do the Harrier II+?

The Plus is coming in the distant future. Razbam has confirmed it multiple times. We just have to be patient. As far as it's capability goes. The USMC as of 2014 started carrying the AIM-120 on them now too. They do MV-22 Escort and CAP now with them from LHDs. They also have Link16 datalinks now as well.