A Rescue Mission for Harrier Aircraft

Your series on the Harrier aircraft was superb (Dec. 15-18). You have poignantly brought to our attention a situation that begs for attention. As I read about some of the failures, I realized that at least some of them could have been avoided by using oversight. This is a process used for the Air Force’s space programs (and probably others), whereby an independent team of experts reviews and assesses the contractors’ design, manufacturing, inspection and testing plans before fabrication starts. Based on my own experience at the Aerospace Corp. (where I organized and headed the manufacturing engineering office), many problems would be prevented.

George Epstein

Los Angeles

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As a retired Navy officer who spent much of his career serving with Marines, I have witnessed the single-minded drive to what you aptly call the “vertical vision” within the corps. To your observation that the roots of the argument are in the Marines’ oft-voiced concern that they’ll be “abandoned” by Navy forces, I’d add that this claim is unsubstantiated.

Those incidents my brethren in the corps glibly cite as evidence are false: On those occasions during World War II (the only war ever discussed) when Navy shipping was withdrawn from the beach area during amphibious operations, the withdrawal was temporary, after the major ground assault was over, and only with Marine commanders’ concurrence. Furthermore, and highly relevant to the current naval aviation debate, Navy aircraft were routinely taken from their carrier bases and stationed at the Marine expeditionary airfields alongside Marine planes. (In those days, it was possible to base aircraft at unimproved fields, and the Navy and Marines flew identical planes.) However, Marines have routinely fallen back on the “they’ll abandon us” argument in their budget campaigns, usually to the desired effect.

Having said this, I hasten to add that the vertical vision is a fundamentally sound one. The V-22 will revolutionize our ability to fight the kind of wars this unstable new century will spawn. And the unrealized goal of a tactical fighter capable of moving from a sea base to the front is valid, if unrealized in the Harrier. In fact, the Navy needs to get on board with the vision, realizing that the VSTOL [vertical/short take-off and landing] fighter and V-22 multipurpose airframe will free it from the burden of large, expensive aircraft carriers.

The British have routinely criticized the Marines for inadequately training Harrier pilots. They realized early in the plane’s history that it required far more intensive and specialized training to handle the Harrier than the Navy/Marine pipeline for tactical jets provides.

Terrance McKearney

San Diego

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As a ground-pounding U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, I can tell you there is no sweeter sound than that of inbound Navy jets en route to bail you out of a bad situation. Need a hero? Look no further than the heart-wrenching photographs of these brave young Marines, and those who step up to take their place. These men are the best of America. God bless!

Terry Schauer

Sherman Oaks