Gee Whiz
A for Attack
Anytime you see an "A" in a military aircraft designation, it means the aircraft is designed to attack ground forces. That means it fires air-to-ground weapons and drops bombs. It doesn’t primarily engage in air-to-air dogfights against other aircraft. The Harrier mission is to attack and destroy surface targets, providing close-air support for U.S. Marine Corps ground forces.
Movie Hero
Harrier aircraft were the heroes in the 1996 movie, True Lies, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold. After taking out a bridge to stop nuclear terrorists, the Harrier hovers over downtown Miami to rescue a damsel in distress. According to Internet Movie Database, the filmmakers paid the U.S. government $100,736 (or about $2,400 an hour) for the use of three Marine Harriers and their pilots. Not all of the aircraft details are authentic in the film. For example, the bullet holes left in the villains’ trucks are too small; and the aircraft canopy isn't really "shattered" in the battle, it was broken to avoid reflections in the glass.
War Hero
In the 42 days of Operation Desert Storm, 86 Harrier II aircraft flew 3,380 combat missions for a total of 4,083 combat hours. They delivered more than 6 million pounds of ordnance in the 1991 conflict. The Harrier was recognized by Secretary of Defense Cohen as one of the three most significant weapon systems in Desert Storm.