Displayed by Bill Bedford

Pictured at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, XP980 was the fifth of six P.1127 development aircraft and was first flown on February 24th 1963. Now residing in the Cobham Hall store at RNAS Yeovilton. In the background is Concorde prototype 002, G-BSST.

After the success of the Kestrel the RAF ordered six pre-production development P.1127 aircraft (XV276 - XV281), of which this is the fifth built. It first flew in April 1967. After testing it then went to RNAS Yeoviltion for ground instruction as A2700 and eventual scrappage with the pod on display at the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum/Aeroventure.

This is the first GR.1 and first flew in July 1967. It was subsequently used for ground instruction by BAe. Training at Preston before passing through private owners and storage before arriving at the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum/Aeroventure, where it is now undergoing restoration.

Before its retirement to Museum status XS695 was used as a Deck-handling airframe at the Culdrose school while the Navy were working up to operational readiness with their Harriers

The P.1127 was originally a private venture by Hawker to prove the VTOL jet fighter concept, ultimately leading to the Harrier line. Six prototypes were built; this was the fifth

One of 9 Kestrel FGA.1s built as development aircraft between the experimental P.1127s and the production Harriers, first flying in 11.64 as XS694, then being transferred to the US Army for evaluation as 64-18266. Apparently became the second NASA 520 when the first (ex XS694/64-18268) crashed, substantial parts from the latter being used to make it airworthy again for NASA research use at Langley. They also had NASA 521 (ex XS689/64-18263, now displayed at the nearby Virginia Air & Space Center

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.

The P-1127 was an experimental aircraft built to develop the concept of VTOL and this was the fifth of the six development aircraft. The development lead to the Harrier which is still operated by many countries, though ironically no longer in the country that developed it !

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