They call the big bird Dirty Harry, but it packs a far mightier punch than Clint Eastwood could ever do in his famous role as the gun-toting cop.

Harry is a British Aerospace Harrier GR9A covered in the dust and dirt of its recent operations in Afghanistan, and it goes on show for three months from today at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton. The aircraft, serial number ZD433, has been acquired by the museum specifically because it is war-worn, giving the public a rare chance to see a modern fighter in battle condition and markings.

It was one of the last British Harriers in service in Afghanistan operating from Kandahar with 800 Naval Air Squadron and also jointly with the RAF. Most of the Harrier fleet returning for the last time from operations in Afghanistan were overhauled, repainted and repaired and sold to the USA, but somehow, ZD433 missed this treatment.

The curatorial team at the museum has made the decision not to restore the aircraft. It will stand as a unique time capsule reflecting recent military history and the impact of operations on an aircraft operating on today's front line. Such is the importance of this particular aircraft that Airfix have used it as the basis of their latest 1/72 scale model.

The museum said: "It has been selected because of its war worn condition, complete with numerous mission markings and dirt and dust from the deserts of Afghanistan."