The Harrier generally excels at STOVL operations, with SRVL-landings allowing much of the raw-VTOL criticisms to be ignored.

SRVL = Short Rolling vertical landing. Nozzles down, wings out, cut thrust and brake on bounce. Hyper-STOL in VTOL config. Kinda fun if I could find a video of a fully-loaded MV-22 doing this. (which they've been doing for a bit over a year now)

SRVL is also how the Soviet Union managed to keep their Yak-38s competitive into the 90's. Even testing them out on ersatz-carriers from hasty cargo-ships by 1983. MTOW/V 11+ metric tons vs 9 for the Harrier II. [i]Yak-41, meanwhile...[/i]

Lets say with the fall of Soviet Union, Lockeed benefited from what was learned making the Yak-41 first supersonic VTOL with big 20+ ton MTOW.