Both Spain and Italy operate the AV-8B Harrier on the Mediterranean. Spain has about a dozen upgraded EAV-8B Harriers IIs and a single TAV-8B Harrier trainer in operation today. These aircraft deploy aboard the (L61), a modern amphibious assault ship capable of carrying up to twenty Harriers at a time.

Spain’s Harriers were supposed to be replaced by the F-35B, but those plans were put on indefinite hold due to cost considerations as well as instability surrounding the F-35 program. Instead, Spain’s Harriers will have their service life extended to at least the middle of the coming decade.

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