An avionics technician checks out an AV-8B Harrier II jet at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., on March 12, 2026. (Perri Wood/U.S. Marine Corps)
The legacy of the Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II ground-attack “jump jet” will be celebrated during a week’s worth of events late this spring in North Carolina.
The “Harrier Sundown Celebration” will be hosted by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point from June 1-4, according to a memorandum posted Tuesday on the Marine Corps Administration website.
For the “AV-8B Sundown Ceremony,” the main event will be a ceremony held on the Cherry Point flight line on June 3 at 10 a.m. ET.
The Boeing AV-8B Harrier II is being replaced in Marine squadrons by the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter and ground-attack aircraft. The B variant has a vertical takeoff and landing capability like the Harrier.
The Harrier officially reaches the end of its service life at the close of the 2026 fiscal year on Sept. 30. The official deactivation is scheduled for September, the Marines said in the memo.
The Harriers trace their lineage to the British-designed Hawker Siddeley Harrier Gr. 1, which first flew in December 1967. It was the first operational warplane with vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities.
The Marines procured the aircraft as the AV-8A Harrier. The plane’s vertical takeoff and landing ability allowed the Marines to operate from rough airfields and amphibious assault ships.
The design was extensively modified, and its engines were upgraded, in a joint effort by McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace. The Marines introduced the AV-8B Harrier II in 1985. Boeing took over the aircraft program when it acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997.
The AV-8B Harrier II flew thousands of bombing and close-ground-support missions during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and bombed targets during the NATO intervention in Kosovo in 1999. It has played a role in many of the major U.S. interventions during the wars on terrorism following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The sundown week events will include a gala, golf tournament, 5K run, picnic, and other social events hosted by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, local businesses, local governments, and the Marine Corps Aviation Association. An open house will feature Marine squadrons and include the Harrier’s simulator.
Interested participants can find the full list of events, including those open to the public or requiring prior registration, by checking the AV-8B Harrier II sundown official website.
