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UK withdraws Harriers from Afghanistan
By Gareth Jennings
26 June 2009
The UK withdrew its BAE Systems Harrier GR.9 strike aircraft force from Afghanistan on 26 June after nearly five years in theatre.
Joint Force Harrier (JFH), which comprises the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) 1 (Fighter-F) and 4 Squadrons (Sqns) and the Royal Navy's (RN's) Naval Strike Wing (NSW), has been the UK's sole manned fixed-wing combat platform in Afghanistan since it was first deployed in September 2004.
Each JFH squadron was deployed to Afghanistan on tours of approximately four months at a time. This final tour of the Harrier was flown by the RAF's 1 (F) Sqn - its fifth of the campaign. According to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the JFH has flown more than 22,000 hours on more than 8,500 sorties, mainly over Helmand province.