English

An AV-8B Harrier "jump jet"

Noun

jump jet ‎(plural jump jets)

1. (informal, military) A jet airplane with fixed wings that is capable of vertical takeoff and landing as well as hovering, and, in some cases, also capable of becoming airborne in a conventional manner by gaining airspeed on a runaway.
   • 1977 Aug. 15, "Aircraft: The Marines' Bad Luck Plane," Time:

     Yet, 24 of the 110 Harrier AV-8A jump jets, the British-built aircraft capable of leaping straight up from a carrier deck and then accelerating to more than 500 m.p.h., have crashed since the Marines first bought them seven years ago.

See also

• VTOL

References

• jump jet at OneLook Dictionary Search