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The Naval Strike Wing (NSW) was a flying unit of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was formed on 9 March 2007 (following the re-forming of 800 Naval Air Squadron in 2006, and 801 Naval Air Squadron on 9 March 2007). It included elements of 801 and 800 Squadrons, amalgamated into a single operational unit for deployment either on land or aboard the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers. Equipped with Harrier GR7 and GR9 aircraft and based at RAF Cottesmore, NSW was the Naval component of Joint Force Harrier.

On 1 April 2010, NSW reverted to the identity of 800 NAS, flying the Harrier GR9 and GR9A variants. Following the decision to withdraw the Harrier from service in the 2010 Strategic Defense and Security Review, a Harrier GR9 made its last flight from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, on 24 November 2010.

Designed to meet a NATO specification for a light tactical support fighter that was also capable of Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL), the Harrier first flew in 1960. This unique aircraft has the distinction of being the only successful V/STOL design out of the many that were put forth during the 1960s. There are four different versions of the Harrier, which uses thrust vectoring to achieve V/STOL: the first generation Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the Naval strike/air defense BAE Sea Harrier, the US AV-8B Harrier II variant and the British BAE Harrier II. The Harrier was produced between 1969 and 2003.

Hobby Master's 1:72 scale Harrier is a very well-executed model designed with great attention to detail and constructed almost entirely from diecast metal, with only a small amount of plastic. The configurable canopy provides an unobstructed view of the unusually detailed instrument panel. The turbofan can be clearly seen inside the engine intake, the elevators rotate in unison, and there are four independently positionable engine exhaust ports with small vectoring ports at the rear and on the wingtips. The series includes the US AV-8B variant and the UK GR.Mk 9, and each release features a variety of removable fuel tanks and ordnance.

Info: BAe Harrier GR.Mk 9 - RNSW, ZD406, RAF Cottesmore, England, 2009