High Alpha Research Vehicle

"HARV" redirects here. For the American basketball player and coach, see Harv Schmidt. For the character from Cars, see List of Cars characters § Harv.

The High Alpha Research Vehicle was a modified American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet used by NASA in a three-phase program investigating controlled flight at high alpha (angle of attack) using thrust vectoring, modifications to the flight controls, and with actuated forebody strakes. The program lasted from April 1987 to September 1996.

F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV)
F-18 HARV in high alpha maneuver
General information
Type	Test aircraft
Manufacturer	McDonnell Douglas
Status	Prototype from military service
Primary user	NASA
Number built	1
History
Developed from	McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

NASA reported that in one phase of the project, Armstrong Flight Research Center "research pilots William H. "Bill" Dana and Ed Schneider completed the envelope expansion flights in February 1992. Demonstrated capabilities included stable flight at approximately 70 degrees angle of attack (previous maximum was 55 degrees) and rolling at high rates at 65 degrees angle of attack. Controlled rolling would have been nearly impossible above 35 degrees without vectoring." Performance figures were not listed for other phases.

The aircraft is now on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia.

See also

• List of experimental aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States
• Boeing X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing

Further reading

• "Overview of HATP Experimental Aerodynamics Data for the Baseline F/A-18 Configuration" (PDF). NTRS.NASA.gov. NASA. September 1996.
• "Preparations for Flight Research to Evaluate Actuated Forebody Strakes on the F-18 High-Alpha Research Vehicle" (PDF). NTRS.NASA.gov. NASA. July 1994.