Spain took an interest in the Harrier in the mid 1970s, however the UK still had an arms embargo in place from the 1936 civil war! The spanish Harriers were therefore built in the UK, and shipped to McDonnell Douglas in St Louis for assembly before being delivered to the Armada. McDonnell Douglas classified these Aircraft the AV-8S, although operationally they were called Matador VA-1s. These aircraft were replaced by second generation Harriers in the mid 1990s, and now serve in the Thai Navy aboard the carrier Chakri Naruebet.