Sea Harrier's at Yeovilton to be withdrawn (From Yeovil Express)

Sea Harrier's at Yeovilton to be withdrawn

7:00am Thursday 23rd March 2006 in Yeovil By Helen Rossiter

A CEREMONY will be held at RNAS Yeovilton next Tuesday to mark the withdrawal from service of the Royal Navy's famous Sea Harrier FA2 Jump- Jets.

It will include a military parade and a flypast by the Sea Harriers of 801 Naval Air Squadron, the third and final Sea Harrier squadron to be disbanded de-commissioned at RNAS Yeovilton as part of the migration process towards the Joint Force Harrier.

It will be an important day for the Royal Navy, and particularly for RNAS Yeovilton, because it marks the end of an historic association with the Sea Harrier, which has lasted 26 years.

During this period the Royal Navy's Jump-Jets have made a considerable contribution to world events, notably during the Falklands campaign and more recently during the first Gulf War, and in the Balkans and Sierra Leone.

Immediately after 801 de-commissions at the base, on 31 March 06, 800 Naval Air Squadron will re-commission at RAF Cottesmore, equipped with the uprated, GR7 version of the Harrier.