Westland Wessex
| Westland Wessex | |
|---|---|
 A Westland Wessex HU Mk.5 off Ascension |
|
| Type: | Anti-submarine and transport helicopters |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
June 20, 1958 |
| Commissioning: |
1961 |
| Number of pieces: |
356 |
The Westland Wessex is a US designed and UK manufactured transport helicopter . With a two-man crew, 16 passengers or 8 wounded in ambulance operations could be carried on stretchers or 1350 kg of cargo. The fuselage was made of all-metal half-shell construction.
history
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As with the Whirlwind before , the evolution of the Wessex began with the license building of a Sikorsky helicopter, this time the S-58 . Since this - from a technical point of view - was the direct successor to the Whirlwind basic model S-55 , the Wessex can also be seen as a descendant of the Whirlwind .
While the first variants of the Whirlwind were still relatively unchanged copies of the S-55 , extensive modifications began immediately. In the S-58 used Wright - radial engines had to Napier Gazelle N.Ga.11 - turbines soft with 809 kW (1100 hp). The bow was changed to accommodate this engine, which also differentiated the Wessex from the S-58 externally . The performance deficit was largely compensated for by reducing weight and consumption, so that due to the extensive technical interventions, the first Wessex models can already be viewed as an independent type. The first prototype flew on May 17, 1957, although it was still manufactured by Sikorsky, and on June 20, 1958, the first series model built by Westland followed . The first customer for this was the British Navy , which HAS the new type as Wessex. Marked Mk.1 .
In the first series, instead of the Gazelle N.Ga.11, the Gazelle N.Ga.13 turbines were installed, which developed 1081 kW (1470 PS). In the early 1960s, experiments with the use of two engines were made for reasons of safety and reliability, and in January 1962 the Wessex HC took off. Mk.2 for the first time. This version, which was delivered from February 1964, had two coupled Rolls-Royce Gnome 110/111 turbines with a total of 919 kW (1250 hp), manufactured under license by Bristol Siddeley . These had still been throttled; in later versions, the throttling was reduced or canceled, resulting in an output of 1156 kW (1572 hp). But depending on the users and their wishes, Wessex with only one turbine were still built at that time , which were further developments of the original Gazelle engine.
The Wessex XP142 operated by HMS Antrim was nicknamed "Humphrey" at the outbreak of the Falklands War and on April 25, 1982 was the first aircraft to incapacitate a submarine in action after World War II. The Argentine submarine ARA Santa Fe (ex- USS Catfish (SS-339) ) was located off South Georgia , attacked and forced to surface with depth charges. Further attacks by HMS Plymouth's Lynx helicopters with on-board weapons and AS.12 guided weapons finally forced the crew of the Santa Fe to abandon the boat at King Edward Point .
variants
A total of 356 copies were produced in various series.
The following series have been developed for the armed forces of the United Kingdom (see also information on the designation system for British aircraft ):
- Wessex HAS.Mk.1
- Multipurpose, anti-submarine helicopters of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy (RN), later also in SAR service , 136 built, of which 42 were converted to HAS.3 during construction
- Wessex HC.Mk.2
- Troop transport of the Royal Air Force (RAF) for a maximum of 16 soldiers, 73 built plus a prototype emerged from a HAS.1
- Wessex HAR.Mk.2
- SAR variant of the RAF, converted HC.2
- Wessex HAS.Mk.3
- FAA anti-submarine helicopters with improved avionics, more powerful engine with radome in the rear fuselage area, three newly built and 42 HAS.1 completed as HAS.3 and already under construction
- Wessex HCC.Mk.4
- VVIP transporter of Queens Flight of the RAF, two built
- Wessex HU.Mk.5
- FAA troop transport for a maximum of 16 Royal Marines , 101 built
The following series were created for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the naval force of the large South Pacific Commonwealth of Nations:
- Wessex HAS.Mk.31
- Anti-submarine helicopter built for the Australian FAA, 27
- Wessex HAS.Mk.31B
- upgraded anti-submarine helicopter with Ryan AN / APN-97 Doppler radar for the Australian FAA, 27 rebuilt
The following versions were intended for export only:
- Wessex Mk.52
- Export version of the HC.2 for the Iraqi Air Force, 12 built
- Wessex Mk.53
- Export version of the HC.2 for the Ghana's Air Force, two built
- Wessex Mk.54
- Export version of the HC.2 for the Brunei Air Force, two built
- Wessex Mk.60
- civil version of the Wessex HC.2, 20 built
Users
Military users
27 HAS.31 / HAS.31B
2 HU.Mk.5
2 Mk.54
-
Ghana ( Ghana Air Force )
2 Mk.53
12 Mk.52
-
Oman ( Royal Air Force of Oman ) (RAFO)
2 HC.2
-
Uruguay ( Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya (FAU), Armada Nacional (Aviación Naval Uruguaya) ) (ANU)
FAU: 11 HC.2, ANU: 5 HC.Mk.2, 2 Mk.53, 1 Mk.54
RAF: 72 HC.2 / HAR.2, 2 HCC.4, RN: 94 HAS.1, 42 HAS.3, 101 HU.5 (including 21 for the Royal Marines)
In Germany, the 18th Squadron of RAF Germany flew the HC.Mk.2 from Gütersloh Airport from January 1965 to November 1980, with one interruption in January 1968 and August 1970.
Private users
-
United Kingdom Bristow Helicopters
16 Mk.60
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data HAS Mk.1 | Data HU Mk.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Construction year | 1958 | 1964 |
| crew | 2 | |
| Rotor diameter | 17.07 m | |
| Hull length | 14.74 m | |
| Length over all | 20.04 m | |
| height | 4.93 m | |
| Takeoff mass | 5715 kg | 6169 kg |
| Top speed | 212 km / h | 214 km / h |
| Range | 625 km | 535 km |
| Engine | 1 Napier Gazelle N.Ga.13-Mk.161 - turbine with 1,081 kW (1,470 hp) |
2 coupled Bristol Siddeley Gnome Mk.110 / 111 - turbines with 1,156 kW (1,572 hp) |
