The last AV-8B Harrier to fly with the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., is given a traditional water cannon salute to mark its final “sundown flight” on Sept. 23, 2025. (Michael L. Smith/U.S. Navy)
A fire truck spraying a rainbow-making flume of water marked one of the final steps toward retirement of a storied Marine Corps attack jet.
The torrent above the AV-8B Harrier taxiing on the tarmac at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the California desert late last month signaled the end of flight development of the famous Marine “jump jet” after more than 40 years in service.
The Dust Devils of VX-31, the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron, gave the liquid salute to mark the final mission — called the “sundown flight” — by the versatile attack aircraft that once had the singular ability of any U.S. jet to take off and land vertically.
The Harrier was applauded by a crowd of Marines and Navy personnel, defense industry representatives and others who’d come to see the last sortie.
Marine Corps Lt. Col. Timothy “Little Buddy” Burchett, commanding officer of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 31, delivers remarks during a ceremony at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake on Sept. 23, 2025. The event honored the squadron’s final AV-8B Harrier flight, piloted by VX-31 Technical Director Jim “Jimbo” Coppersmith. (Michael L. Smith/U.S. Navy)
“It’s the most fun airplane I’ve ever flown,” Lt. Col. Timothy “Little Buddy” Burchett, VX-31 commanding officer, told the audience. “There are no computers. It’s cables, pulleys and skill that keep that thing in the air.”
Burchett praised the China Lake test team for keeping the program safe and mission capable to the finish.
Although development of new systems and tactics for the aircraft ended with the China Lake ceremony, the jet will still serve until next year with one unit, the “Bulldogs” of Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223, based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.
The other Marine squadrons that flew the Harrier have transitioned to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, a multirole fighter whose Marine “B” version features vertical takeoff and landing capability.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to completely transition to the F-35B by September 2026.
The first British-designed version of the jump jet — the Hawker Siddeley Harrier — made its maiden flight on August 31, 1966. This aircraft was the world’s first operational vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet fighter.
An AV-8B Harrier piloted by Jim “Jimbo” Coppersmith, technical director for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 31, performs a vertical landing at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake on Sept. 23, 2025. The flight was the last Harrier sortie for the squadron. (Michael L. Smith/U.S. Navy)
The British exported the AV-8A Harrier to the Marine Corps in the 1970s, and the advanced Sea Harrier version saw action with the British during the Falklands War in 1982.
The Marines went on to fly the AV-8B Harrier II, a redesign by McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace, featuring advanced avionics, a heavier payload and improved performance.
At its peak, the Marine Corps flew 102 AV-8A Harriers and eight two-seat trainers in the 1970s, then procured 340 AV-8B Harrier aircraft during the production run from 1981 to 2003
The Marine Corps plans to retire all Harriers from its inventory by the end of next year.
An AV-8B Harrier piloted by Jim “Jimbo” Coppersmith, technical director for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 31, performs a vertical landing at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake on Sept. 23, 2025. The flight was the last Harrier sortie for the squadron. (Michael L. Smith/U.S. Navy)
