Harrier GR.7
UK Laser-Guided Bomber Plane
GUIDE > RTS > WGRD > UNIT
by
Pijove
Posted on June 30, 2021
Brief History
The Harrier, named after a bird of prey, was originally developed by British manufacturer Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s. The Harrier emerged as the only truly successful V/STOL design of the many attempted during that era. The Harrier’s VTOL abilities allowed it to be deployed from very small prepared clearings or helipads as well as normal airfields. It was believed that, in a high-intensity conflict, airbases would be vulnerable and likely to be quickly knocked out. The capability to scatter Harrier squadrons to dozens of small “alert pads” on the front lines was highly prized by military strategists and the USMC procured the aircraft because of this ability. Hawker Siddeley noted that STOL operation provided additional benefits over VTOL operation, saving fuel and allowing the aircraft to carry more ordnance.
Stats
General Stats
A quick comment on the general stats (Fig.) of the Harrier GR.7. Also, note planes resupply at 35L per second. To repair 1 HP it takes 33s.
- Card: ‘2x Trained / 1x Elite’, I prefer 1x Elite will expand later.
- Health: 10, standard.
- Speed: 750Km/h, slow.
- Optics: ‘Very Good’ ([300], “11,250m vs Poor stealth”), ok but prefer ‘Exceptional’ to operate solo.
- Autonomy: 150s, good.
- ECM: 40%, very good.
- Stealth: ‘Poor’ [1], normal.
- Turning Radius: 350, good.
- Type: All, Available for all thematic decks.
- Prototype: No, Blufor deck can use it.
- Year: 1990, Can’t be used in ERA decks.
Weapons
The Harrier GR.7 is equipped with three different weapons systems, an autocannon, Laser-Guided bombs and Anti-Air missiles.
Twin ADEN 30
The cannon (Fig.) is not frequently used however it is decent against lightly armoured targets[0/1], it can cause over 5HP of damage in a strafing run. Considering how few resources it takes to re-arm compared to the other missiles. If the opportunity presents itself you may want to switch to this instead.
GBU-12 Paveway II
The focus of this plane is on this Guided-Bomb weapon system. I was able to destroy this T-72S (Fig.) [Armour:18/8/4/4] at full HP using an elite harrier.
I can’t remember when it happened but LGB received a nerf where it affected the accuracy (Fig.). HE value of 10 is poor for a bomber and it has a small splash radius too (112,225). This makes it more suited for precision strikes than covering large areas. Each missile is expensive to rearm (1,000L), usually HE:15 bombs only require 500L to rearm.
The range is, 1400m-3500m, which same range at Kh-29T on the Su-27M, but when you are firing all four missiles they are not all released at the same time (Fig.), the plane will be flying 750km/h (208m per second) towards the target too, so consider this. Even though it has the [F&F] tag it would automatically target enemies like ATGM planes, you still need to manually command it to attack.
AIM-9L
AIM-9L is a very common AA missile seen on BluFor planes. The Harrier only has 2 missiles. An accuracy of 50% and HE:4 is an ok combination. These missiles (Fig.) can be both used against helicopters (420-2100m) and planes (700-3850m).
Comparisons
The Harrier GR.7 is classified as a multirole (Fig.) but can also be compared with HE bombers (Fig.). A list of ATGM planes is omitted as it would be a messy tangent and not strictly relevant.
Laser guided bombers
- Q-5D [China, HE:15 x2]
- Ra’am [Israel, HE:10 x4]
- Kurnas [Israel, HE: 20 x2]
- Nighthawk [USA, HE:20 x2]
The most relatable comparison is other LGB planes, from a loadout perspective this is the weakest LGB due to its low HE and splash radius. Note HE:20 LGB have a larger splash radius than standard HE:20 bombs.
HE bombers (UK/CMW)
- F-111C [ANZAC, HE:20 x4]
- Harrier GR.5 [UK, HE:15x 4]
- F/A-18A Hornet [ANZAC, HE:15 x4]
From a pure HE bomber perspective, it is poor. As the 4 bombs will land roughly at a single point. Can be useful for danger close however, in general, you would prefer a bomber with higher HE and you pull your troops back. If playing as the UK, the Harrier Gr.5 is better for this specific role. As CMW F-111C is a 20HE bomber, F/A-18 if you still want multi-role with HE:15.
Anti-tank (UK/CMW)
- A-4K Auka [ANZAC, F&F ATGM]
- Jaguar [UK, SA ATGM]
- Tornado GR.1 [UK, Cluster bomb]
For ATGM missions, playing as CMW, the A-4K Auka is a great sniper, I enjoy using it a lot, and is viable against armoured decks.
When playing as the UK this choice is more difficult (Fig.). The Jaguar is inconsistent hitting the target even as elite and has a very large turn radius [500], making usage difficult to chip away at the enemy. The tornado is a cluster bomber, which is ok for static enemies but a poor choice for moving enemies. So as UK the GR.7 is my main ‘ATGM’ plane, despite not being a natural fit for the role.
Tactics
‘Fire position’, precision strike
The LGB can be launched using ‘Fire Position’ unlike Anti-Tank missiles. This can be useful when you know the exact position of a target but do not have visual recon on it.
Sniping
The primary way I use this unit is to pick off a solo unit. If the unit is lightly armoured, you can use 1 or 2 missiles instead of all four, which will save time rearming. Often, I will use all four missiles as I am focusing on different aspects, like watching for enemy AA.
Anti-Tank
Out of the many roles, my focus when using this unit is on sniping tanks. The benefit of LGB over traditional AGM missiles is even if all are not direct hits, it will land near, causing splash and suppression damage. It is possible to destroy a heavy tank at full health if all the missiles hit (Fig.). I tried looking at the “HE vs Armour” hidden stat, and I’m not sure that it translates well to LGB. According to the table, HE:10 does 2HP damage to armour 4. Even if all 4 missiles hit that is only 8HP. Maybe it gets a critical as well like “Ammo Internal Explosion” so the unit takes an additional 2 damage as well. I don’t know the mechanics but know the results, 4x missiles hit can take out heavy tanks at full HP.
Anti-Infantry
A single Missile can be devastating against infantry (Fig.). If targeting a unit, the [F&F] will follow them, which can be useful when targeting spotted infantry moving between urban sectors.
Anti-Ship
You can use this to finish off ships (Fig.), since the LGB are not ASM, enemy CIWS cannot target them. (SEAD works too). This can be useful if need to finish off a ship while ASM is rearming, or another circumstance that means ASM is not available. Make sure you know which ships you can and cannot target. If you are unsure check the stats card of your target in the game to see.
Anti-Helicopter
The plane is equipped with 2x HE:4 missiles, which can be useful at picking off helicopters especially Mi-2 (Fig.) recon helicopters (4HP) as it only requires a single hit.
Working with SEAD
When playing as UK, having the SEAD harrier is helpful as it has the same attributes like speed and turn radius, which makes it easier to coordinate strikes. I often call out both planes at the same time, to Suppress Enemy Air Defences, if it appears unsafe or discovers RADAR AA units that were not expected, I call off the strike.
In-game
Role within UK deck
When I play as the UK, my Air tab looks like this. 2 cards of elite Eurofighters for Air superiority, 1 card of Elite Sea Harrier for SEAD. 1 card of elite Harrier GR.7 to fill both roles for ATGM & HE, which means I use one less slot than usual, freeing up points elsewhere for my deck build.
Veterancy
When I pick bombers, I often picked them at the lowest veterancy as they are just dropping and don’t need accuracy like a missile. However, Veterancy does affect the dispersion of the guided bombs. An Elite plane is much more consistent in all 4 missiles hitting the same point than a rookie. I tried using a pair of rookies against the same target. The 1x Elite is still much more consistent on tank destruction.
When your decks in not focused on planes
Strike planes are deadly in WG:RD, so air superiority is a key element. An opponent will not let you have free reigns of the sky. If the enemy is being intense with its anti-air (ASF & land), you are unable to use your strike planes regardless of how good they are. This is an important point often not mentioned. Your deck needs to be balanced enough not to rely on one tactic. I use the Harrier GR.7 as an opportunistic tool, rather than a focal point of my deck.
Versatility
For me, this plane can Target, Infantry, Tanks, Helicopters, and ships. So if the opportunity presents itself, I can destroy them. Even though it is reasonably priced it makes the justification for using it much greater.
Summary
The Harrier GR.7 is a decent platform for a strike plane, versatile enough to cover the role of 2 cards in the air tab (HE bomber & ATGM plane). Performance in each role is underwhelming in isolation. Emphasis on striking solo targets. It is unwise to operate this unit by itself, as it cannot detect ASF earlier enough or have the speed to evade safely. Poor unit in comparison to other LGB planes. Kurnass outperforms it and is available in any BluFor deck too. CMW coalition has many better-specialised options. A decent main choice for UK national decks, which can fit within the UK playstyle. Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading.
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