Is the AV-8B Advanced Harrier Aircraft Ready for Full-Scale Development?

In 1979, the Secretary of Defense is planning to authorize full-scale development of the AV-8B Harrier aircraft. A prototype effort was started in 1976 to demonstrate that it will be possible to double the range and payload capability of the aircraft without developing a new engine. Testing has been successful and ahead of schedule. A Marine Corps analysis indicates that the vertical take-off Harrier is a more cost-effective system than the F/A-18 Hornet, a conventional take-off plane originally designated to replace certain Marine and Navy aircraft. If this is proven, the Harrier program will be substituted for the Hornet.