Editing VTOL (section)

====V/STOL====
[[File:INAS 300 Sea Harrier vertical landing on a carrier.JPG|thumb|right|Landing of [[Harrier jump jet]] with [[Indian Naval Air Arm]]]]

The Harrier is usually flown in [[STOVL]] mode, which enables it to carry a higher fuel or weapon load over a given distance.<ref name="Khurana p. 133"/> In V/STOL, the VTOL aircraft moves horizontally along the runway before taking off using vertical thrust. This gives aerodynamic lift as well as thrust lift and permits taking off with heavier loads and is more efficient. When landing, the aircraft is much lighter due to the loss of propellant weight, and a controlled vertical landing is possible. An important aspect of Harrier STOL operations aboard naval carriers is the "ski jump" raised forward deck, which gives the craft additional vertical momentum at takeoff.<ref>{{cite web |title=The genius of the naval jump-jet |url=https://www.maritimefoundation.uk/publications/maritime-2019/the-genius-of-the-naval-jump-jet/ |publisher=The Maritime Foundation |access-date=20 January 2020 |date=31 October 2019}}</ref>

The March 1981 cover of [[Popular Science]] showed three illustrations for its "Tilt-engine V/STOL – speeds like a plane, lands like a copter" front-page feature story;<ref>{{cite magazine  |magazine=[[Popular Science]] |title=Tilt-engine V/STOL - speeds like a plane, lands like a copter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7nkfLrLoMsC |date=March 1981 |page=3}}</ref> a followup story was part of the April 2006 issue that mentioned "the fuel-consumption and stability problems that plagued earlier plane/copter."<ref>{{cite magazine  |magazine=Popular Science |date=April 2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MY3SEwT-K0oC |title=V/STOL |page=118}}</ref>

Retired from the British [[Royal Navy]] in 2006,<ref>{{cite web |title=Hover and out: UK Royal Navy retires the Sea Harrier |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/hover-and-out-uk-royal-navy-retires-the-sea-harrier/66527.article |website=FlightGlobal |access-date=20 January 2020 |date=28 March 2006}}</ref> the [[Indian Navy]] continued to operate [[Sea Harrier]]s until 2016,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raghuvanshi |first1=Vivek |title=Indian Navy Retires Sea Harriers |url=https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2016/03/21/indian-navy-retires-sea-harriers/ |website=Defense News |access-date=20 January 2020 |date=21 March 2016}}</ref> mainly from its [[aircraft carrier]] {{ship|INS|Viraat}}. The latest version of the Harrier, the [[BAE Harrier II]], was retired in December 2010 after being operated by the British [[Royal Air Force]] and Royal Navy. The [[United States Marine Corps]] and the Italian and Spanish navies all continue to use the [[AV-8B Harrier II]], an American-British variant. Replacing the Harrier II/AV-8B in the air arms of the US and UK is the STOVL variant of the [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II]], the F-35B.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Roblin |first1=Sebastien |title=The Royal Navy Is Back (Thanks to the F-35 and Two New Aircraft Carriers) |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/royal-navy-back-thanks-f-35-and-two-new-aircraft-carriers-33416 |website=National Interest |access-date=20 January 2020 |date=13 October 2018}}</ref>