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U.S. Marines AV‑8B Harriers Roar from USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ship in Southern Spear Drill.
U.S. Southern Command has released new footage on X showing U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II jets from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) conducting live-fire training from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea.
On 18 November 2025, U.S. Southern Command released on X new footage of U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II jets conducting live-fire training from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea, as announced by U.S. Southern Command on X. The images show aircraft from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) dropping ordnance as part of a broader deployment in support of Operation Southern Spear, the large-scale campaign targeting transnational drug-trafficking networks across the Western Hemisphere. This communication comes as the United States reinforces its military presence in the Southern Caribbean with surface combatants, amphibious assets and a growing mix of crewed and uncrewed platforms. The video underlines the role of naval air power in a hybrid operation that combines robotic systems, intelligence networks and precision strikes in maritime areas increasingly contested by cartels and closely monitored by state actors.
The live-fire sorties of AV-8B Harrier IIs from USS Iwo Jima therefore mark more than another training sequence; they crystallize the convergence of amphibious air power (Picture Source: U.S. Southern Command)
The AV-8B Harrier II remains a distinctive asset in this configuration. Designed as a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) attack aircraft, it is powered by a single Rolls-Royce Pegasus turbofan whose vectored thrust nozzles allow it to operate from amphibious assault ships and austere forward bases with minimal runway infrastructure. With multiple wing hardpoints, a centerline station and dedicated mounts for a 25 mm GAU-12 cannon, the Harrier II can carry significant loads of air-to-surface and air-to-air ordnance, including guided bombs, air-to-surface missiles and precision rockets, giving the embarked Marine air combat element a flexible strike capability at relatively short notice. Embarked on the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship designed to deploy a full Marine Expeditionary Unit, the AV-8B integrates into a broader amphibious system combining rotary-wing aircraft, tiltrotors and landing craft, allowing the ship to project combat power ashore or over the maritime domain without relying on land bases.
The AV-8B Harrier II and USS Iwo Jima share a long operational history, with the Harrier serving since the 1980s in conflicts from the Gulf War to Afghanistan as a close air support platform, while Iwo Jima has demonstrated the versatility of amphibious ready groups through combat deployments, humanitarian missions, and allied exercises. Now in the final phase of its service life as the F-35B assumes STOVL duties, the Harrier continues to receive upgrades that keep it effective, and the current Caribbean deployment reflects a transitional period where legacy systems remain vital as the Marine Corps advances its modernization.
In terms of capabilities, the AV-8B offers a different profile from the fifth-generation F-35B that is progressively replacing it. The Harrier does not feature low observable design or the same level of integrated sensor fusion and network connectivity, but it remains fully adapted to the deck cycles and operating concepts of current amphibious ships and can be sustained by crews with decades of experience on the type. Compared with conventional carrier-borne aircraft such as the F/A-18, its STOVL performance allows it to generate sorties from smaller decks and to conduct vertical recoveries in confined areas, at the cost of lower payload and range. The combination with USS Iwo Jima’s amphibious capabilities offers a complementary effect to Operation Southern Spear’s robotic and unmanned surface components, which provide persistent surveillance and cueing against suspected trafficking routes. In practical terms, uncrewed surface vessels and aerial sensors identify high-value targets and patterns of life, while manned aircraft like the Harrier deliver precision ordnance when the decision is made to neutralize a threat at sea.
The strategic impact of these live-fire drills extends beyond simple training exercises. Operation Southern Spear is officially presented as a counter-narcotics and maritime security mission, but it also signals a significant enhancement of U.S. military presence in a region already fraught with tension among coastal states. The deployment of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, alongside other naval assets and a fleet of robotic systems, establishes a multi-layered posture capable of addressing both non-state cartel threats and serving as a mechanism for coercive diplomacy against regimes that harbor or tolerate such groups. For Caribbean allies participating in port visits and joint exercises, the publicized Harrier operations reinforce Washington’s commitment to active and visible engagement near their maritime borders. However, frequent strikes on suspected drug vessels and the close proximity of major U.S. naval forces provoke legal and political concerns among regional governments and observers regarding the proportionality of force, civilian safety, and the potential perception that a campaign aimed at cartels could be viewed as pressure on politically hostile regimes.
The live-fire sorties of AV-8B Harrier IIs from USS Iwo Jima therefore, mark more than another training sequence; they crystallize the convergence of amphibious air power, unmanned maritime systems and political signaling at sea in a theater that has become central to U.S. security debates. As Operation Southern Spear accelerates, the continued use of a proven but soon-to-be-retired aircraft alongside cutting-edge robotic platforms shows how Washington is seeking immediate operational effects while preparing a longer-term technological shift. For regional actors, the message is clear: U.S. forces are ready to combine legacy and emerging capabilities to act rapidly and at scale in the Caribbean, and any calculation about trafficking routes or broader strategic postures must now take into account this multidimensional presence.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.