The Kestrel, serial number XS695, is one of only nine built by Hawker-Siddeley. Its main role was to evaluate vertical take-off in near service conditions. Fitted with a single Bristol Siddeley Pegasus engine and single seat cockpit, the success of the Kestrel came little more than a year before its successor, the Harrier, made its first flight. The Harrier served successfully with the Royal Air Force until 2011.
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