It would not take long before the successful V/STOL Harrier would be adapted for naval use and thus the BAe Sea Harrier was born. Built for fighter operations rather than close support, it was to be the main element of the Invincible-class through-deck cruisers, better known as the "Harrier Carriers"; which Britain constructed in the late 70's and early 80's. The Sea Harrier was based on the first generation land-based Harriers, but optimized for air combat thanks to a Blue Fox radar and a bubble canopy that provided all-round visibility. Anti-ship capability was also afforded through the Sea Eagle missile. It would not take long before the Sea Harriers proved themselves in combat: during the Falklands War they were indispensable for fleet defense by shooting down 23 Argentinian aircraft without a single loss in air-to-air combat, although six were lost to ground fire or accidents. Although they were not able to fully establish air superiority, they undoubtedly saved the Royal Navy from further ship sinkings. A new generation of Sea Harriers were introduced in the early 1990s with an even more powerful radar and weapons capability, being the first British aircraft equipped with the US AMRAAM missile. As a result, they remained in action over Yugoslavia and Iraq. In 2006 the Sea Harrier was retired from RN service but remained operational with its only other export customer, the Indian Navy, for another decade until also retired in 2016.

First flown on 20 August 1978, the Sea Harrier FRS.1 entered service one year later despite the fact that early trials with the P.1127 Harrier prototype on ships had taken place as early as 1963. This version bore the brunt of fleet defense duties during the Falklands War, where it provided surprisingly effective performance despite being outnumbered. A mid-life update in the early 1990s resulted in the Sea Harrier FA.2 which includes avionics based on the Blue Vixen radar housed in a redesigned radome, integrated ECM sensors, a new cockpit design with HOTAS controls, and more advanced weaponry such as AMRAAM missiles. Aside from 18 new builds, the remainder were converted from FRS.1 airframes.