And therein lies the Harrier�s Achilles Heel. Although not really a dangerous aircraft, it has nevertheless amassed the worst safety record of any current western fighter-its accident rate is almost three times that of the F-15 of F-16. This is not necessarily the fault of the technology. The Harrier operates in a more critical flight regime than other fighters. Take off and landing are usually the most critical times for an aircraft, and the Harrier spends a large percentage of its time in this regime. This is the nature of its mission- close air support- especially in U.S. Marine Corps service. It supports the ground forces from locations basically co-located with the ground forces. It takes off, pounds the enemy, and lands, quickly. It generates more sorties than other fighter simply because it is closer to the action.