Hawker Harrier by Bryan Organ, oil on canvas

Two years after the RAF Museum opened to visitors, it commissioned Bryan Organ, known for his depictions of famous people, to paint a ‘portrait’ of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier aircraft. Several years later, he also drew the Museum’s founding Director, Dr John Tanner.

The Harrier Jump Jet, capable of vertical take-off and landing, first came into RAF service in 1969. It was used for close air support, reconnaissance and ground attack, and deployed in West Germany as a strike weapon against potential Soviet aggression during the Cold War. Commissioned in 1974. Copyright: Bryan Organ and The Refern Gallery / RAF Museum.