I first photographed this aircraft at the 1966 Farnborough Air Show

This is the first production aircraft of the tripartite squadron batch

The Kestrel was a step between the straight-winged Hawker P.1127 prototypes and the operational Harrier. This aircraft wears the awkward markings of the Tripartite Evaluation Squadron, which consisted of British, US and West German personnel. In 1965 the projected Mach 2 Harrier was cancelled, and the Harrier ended up as just a straightforward development from the Kestrel.

Based on the pioneering Hawker P.1127 VTOL aircraft, the Kestrel was a development operated by the Tripartite Evaluation Squadron in 1965, based at RAF West Raynham and comprising crews from the UK, USA and West Germany, hence the unique markings seen here. They used nearby abandoned airfields for testing on unprepared runways and on grass. Nine were built before progress onto the fully-fledged Harrier GR.1. XS695 has been superbly restored and was placed on display at the start of 2014