Last flight for the RAF Harrier?

A FORMATION of modern day fighter aircraft has flown over a Cambridgeshire airfield for possibly the last time ever.

Four RAF Harrier jets, which will shortly be put out of service after Government cuts in defence, swept over the Imperial War Museum in Duxford on Thursday in a tight diamond formation.

It is likely to be the last time that Duxford will ever see the famous ‘jumpjet’, nicknamed because it can hover as well as fly backwards, as it is being decommissioned and replaced by the high-tech Eurofighter Typhoon.

The Harrier was revolutionary and high tech when it first came into service in the 1970s, it was the first aircraft that could boast VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) capabilities, and has been a key tool for battles ranging from the Falkland’s to the two Gulf Wars.

Many campaigners are still trying to save a handful of the aircraft so that they can be used in air shows across the world – but will face a tough task as maintenance costs run into the hundreds of thousands.

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