PICK OF TODAY’S TV

BRITISH PLANES THAT WON THE WAR WITH ROB BELL, 9PM, CH5

SADLY, Rob Bell (pictured) has reached the last of the iconic British planes in his fascinating series, but his final subject is a truly amazing feat of engineering — the Harrier Jump Jet. Thanks to its innovative VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) system, the Harrier was the first operational plane that didn’t need a runway to get off the ground. The development of such a machine was a holy grail during the Cold War years — runways were seen as an Achilles heel for an airforce, vulnerable to bombing raids that could effectively neutralise an entire fleet of warplanes. It was the British manufacturer Hawker Sidley that solved the problem, with the Harrier’s ingenious movable nozzles able to direct the thrust of its Pegasus jet engine downwards, lifting the plane straight up into the air. The Harrier had its maiden flight in 1967 and was deployed all around the world, ready to strike, but it was not until 1982 when it saw combat action, in defence of the Falkland Islands. Rob meets Harrier pilots to hear first-hand about their experiences in the South Atlantic, and to explore the crucial role that the Harrier played in that conflict, 40 years ago.