Iconic fighter jet has engineering award rededicated (From Times Series)

Iconic fighter jet the Hawker Siddeley Harrier has engineering award rededicated at Hendon RAF Museum

10:16am Tuesday 23rd October 2012 in News By Chris Hewett

An iconic fighter jet on display at the Hendon RAF Museum has been a presented with a prestigious engineering award for the second time.

The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, also known as the Harrier Jump Jet, was the first vertical take-off aircraft to go into volume production when it was developed in the 1960s.

A new plaque displaying its Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Engineering Heritage Award now sits beneath the aircraft at the Aerodrome Road museum.

The aircraft first received the prize in 1990 but the site of the original plaque has since been demolished so the accolade was rededicated on Thursday.

Professor Isobel Pollock, president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, presented the award to museum director general, Vice-Marshall Peter Dye.

Professor Pollock said: “The Harrier Jump Jet is a fantastic example of British engineering and it is a great testament to the preservation work of the RAF Museum in Hendon that it is in such excellent condition.”

The famous jet set the framework for subsequent vertical take-off aircraft like the Harrier II and F-35 Lightning II.

Engineering Heritage Awards recognise great engineering achievements, with previous winners including Tower Bridge, the E-Type Jaguar and the Falkirk Wheel.

Vice-Marshall Dye, at the museum, said: “It’s an honour to receive this award and we take pride in displaying it. The Harrier will always be regarding as an iconic aircraft in the history of British aviation.

“It is a fine example of British engineering, built around the remarkable Rolls Royce Pegasus engine and is a true aviation milestone.”