Lurgan-born Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth marks service birthday with gift of Harrier jump jet to Ulster Aviation Society
The Lurgan-born head of the Royal Air Force has handed over a unique gift to the Ulster Aviation Society – a Harrier jump jet!
Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, who spent 15 years flying the world-famous aircraft, personally oversaw the handing over of one of the jet fighters to the society on April 1 – the RAF’s 108th birthday.
The Chief of the Air Staff was a special guest at the memorable event, held at the society's Maze site, home to one of Northern Ireland's most remarkable collections.
Smyth, who is a patron of the society, was directly responsible for securing the Harrier’s place in the collection through the RAF's Heritage gifting programme.
He said: “The Ulster Aviation Society is a bright shining jewel in the crown of Northern Ireland, and I'm incredibly proud to be a small part of it.
"The Harrier was not simply a jet fighter — it was a machine that defied convention. There is no other aircraft like it in the world.”
The Harrier is one of the most extraordinary aircraft ever built and was once the only jet fighter in the world capable of taking off and landing vertically.
Ray Burrows, chairman of the Ulster Aviation Society, said: “We are thrilled to be able to add this Harrier to our world class collection and thank the RAF, and Air Chief Marshal Smyth, for making it happen.
"Harv promotes us, and Northern Ireland, every chance he gets; we couldn’t wish for a better patron."
An RAF Typhoon jet from 1(Fighter) Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth marked the special occasion with a flypast over the Ulster Aviation Society site.
1 (Fighter) Squadron became the first squadron in the world to operate the Harrier in 1969. They flew the aircraft until 2010 and were reformed as a Typhoon Squadron in September 2012.
Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth is the first person from modern Northern Ireland to lead any of the UK’s Armed Forces.
He joined the RAF in 1991 and then spent 15 years as a frontline Harrier pilot and weapons instructor having flown hundreds of operational missions.
After being promoted to Air Commodore in 2015, Air Marshal Smyth held a range of command positions. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours.