The Harrier has been around the Corps for quite some time. The original A-20A entered service nearly thirty years ago. Since then, design revisions and software upgrades have made the A-20 increasingly capable in the light attack role. The Harrier looks familiar to both marine and naval student pilots, since a stripped-down version (the I-20 Kestrel) is used for initial flight training in both the Corps and the Fleet. Starfleet also owns a great number of F/A-8 Peregrines which are strike-fighter naval variants of the basic A-20 design. 

   Generally speaking, aircraft would not be used to attack targets situated on planets with no atmosphere, spacecraft generally handling the environment better. However, the A-20 and its cousin the F/A-8 both seem as comfortable in space as in the air, and both handle missions in each environment equally well. This makes the Harrier extremely versatile, which only adds to its popularity and longevity in Marine Air.

   In design Harriers are relatively conventional - there is a large pair of impulse engines at the rear, flanked by the warp nacelles. The cockpit is in the forward section, as is the micro torpedo launcher. Phaser armament comprises a single class I Pulse Phaser cannon in the nose and a pair of Type IV Phasers on the wings. There are two cockpits available; the one person cockpit uses the rear space for extra equipment, while the two person model allows the workload to be split, so enhancing crew performance. Both types exist in several different models which are optimized for various roles and operating conditions.