Jump Jet: The Secret History of the Harrier

'Fascinating, insightful and revealing' - JOHN NICHOL, bestselling author of Spitfire and Blitz

‘An extraordinary history of a British icon . . . unputdownable' NICK COOK, bestselling author of The Hunt for Zero Point

'An engineering marvel . . . a flying machine that seems to defy logic. . . Michael Pryce reveals how, while rival jump jet designers pinned their hopes on data and analysis, and failed, the brilliance of the Harrier was born of human ingenuity, creativity and intuition. A superb book' - RORY SUTHERLAND, author of Alchemy

'A book about aerospace engineering that reads like a thriller' - JOE COLES, HUSH-KIT

Victory in the Falklands War made the Harrier’s name as a world-beating British icon, as capable of giving the enemy a bloody nose as it was of thrilling the crowds at airshows with its thunderous aerial ballet. Its failure seemed inconceivable.

But that’s not the real story of the Harrier.

From its inception, it faced an uncertain future. Designed to survive a nuclear war, it barely survived government cuts. And in an era of big, supersonic, fighters, the little jump jet was too often dismissed as a novelty.

The Harrier’s designer, Ralph Hooper, knew that the naysayers were as wrong as the digital data that failed to produce a working rival to his little jump jet. He saw what the computers could not. Hooper’s masterpiece was born of instinct and feel. And, from day one, was nurtured by American confidence in his unique creation.

Rich with revelatory detail, Jump Jet tells the inspiring story of the Harrier’s unlikely triumph, but also reveals for the first time the inside story of Ralph Hooper’s revolutionary design for the Harrier’s successor. And uncovers how Hooper, discarded at home by the company whose reputation he helped cement, was called back to save the day when America’s own troubled jump jet was on life support.

This is the real story of a British flying legend, and of the man who made it.