25 Dollars - Elizabeth II AV-8B Harrier II

The AV-8B Harrier II, a joint development between McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace, entered U.S. Marine Corps service in 1985 after the original British Harrier proved its combat worth in the Falklands War — a conflict in which vertical and short takeoff capability went from theoretical advantage to operational necessity almost overnight. The Solomon Islands issued a series of aviation-themed commemoratives in the early 2000s with no particular connection to the subjects depicted; these were straightforwardly produced for the collector market through the familiar machinery of licensed mint programs.

KM#137 belongs to a run of similar issues from that period.