Four Harriers of the Naval Strike Wing (NSW) returned to RAF Cottesmore after being deployed to HMS Illustrious as part of Operation ORION 08.
Operation ORION 08 was a multi-national maritime Task Group led by the Royal Navy and deployed to the Indian Ocean. The Harriers flew ground attack support training missions as there part of the operation.
The returning Harriers were ZD322, ZD408, ZD470 and ZD472.
The above pictures shows the two shades of grey that the Harriers are painted in. The darker shade on the left is the older colour seen on GR7 / GR7A models.
The desert flight suit isn't a common sight at RAF Cottesmore!
And finally, this Harrier (1 Sqn marked but from the Naval Strike Wing) gave us a bow at the threshold of runway 22. The perfect finish to my day.
