harrier

harrier¹

/har"ee euhr/, n.

1. a person who or thing that harries.

2. any of several short-winged hawks of the genus Circus that hunt over meadows and marshes and prey on reptiles and small birds and mammals.

3. (cap.) Mil. a one- or two-seat British-American fighter, both an attack and a reconnaissance aircraft, featuring a turbofan engine with a directable thrust that enables it to land and take off vertically.

[1550-60; HARRY + -ER¹]

harrier²

/har"ee euhr/, n.

1. one of a breed of medium-sized hounds, used, usually in packs, in hunting.

2. a cross-country runner.

[1535-45; special use of HARRIER¹, by assoc. with HARE]

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Any of about 11 species of hawks (subfamily Circinae; family Accipitridae) that are plain-looking, long-legged, long-tailed, and slender.

Harriers cruise low over meadows and marshes looking for mice, snakes, frogs, small birds, and insects. They are about 20 in. (50 cm) long and have a small beak and face feathers that form a facial disk. They nest in marshes or tall grass. The best-known harrier is the marsh hawk (Circus cyaneus), commonly called hen harrier in Britain, which breeds in temperate and northern regions throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Other common species are found in Africa, South America, Europe, and Asia.

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▪ airplane

      single-engine, “jump-jet” fighter-bomber designed to fly from combat areas and aircraft carriers and to support ground forces. It was made by Hawker Siddeley Aviation and first flew on Aug. 31, 1966, after a long period of development. (Hawker Siddeley became part of British Aerospace in 1977, and the latter firm, in partnership with McDonnell Douglas in the United States, continued to manufacture the Harrier.) The several versions of the Harrier could take off straight up or with a short roll (Vertical and Short Take-off and Landing, or V/STOL), and thus the Harrier did not need conventional runways. Powered by a vectored-thrust turbofan engine, the plane diverted its engine thrust downward for vertical takeoff using rotatable engine exhaust ports. It could carry a combination of armaments, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface antiship missiles, rockets, and bombs. Ground-attack versions of the Harrier could carry two 30-millimetre cannons as well as rockets and bombs. The Sea Harrier saw combat in the British campaign during the Falkland Islands War of 1982. A larger and heavier version built for the U.S. Marines was used for both air defense and support of ground forces.

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