February 19, 2008:
Britain is selling
four surplus Harrier aircraft to India, to be cannibalized for spare parts. In
the last twenty years, India has lost half of its 30 Harrier vertical takeoff
fighters to accidents, and the fifteen remaining aircraft often cannot fly
because of a shortage of spares. Britain is also offering help with Harrier
refurbishment.
The Harrier has the highest accident
rate of any jet fighter. This is largely because of its vertical flight
capabilities, which give it an accident rate similar to that of helicopters.
The U.S. Marine Corps has lost a third of its 397 Harriers to such accidents in
32 years.