Westland Whirlwind (helicopter)
Westland Whirlwind | |
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Type: | Transport helicopter |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
Number of pieces: |
over 400 |
The Westland Whirlwind was a British military transport helicopter developed in the USA . With a crew of two, ten passengers or six wounded in an ambulance could be carried on stretchers or 1,300 kg of cargo. The fuselage was made of all-metal half - shell construction. The paneling consisted of aluminum and magnesium alloys.
history
The history of the Whirlwind began when Westland acquired the license to build the Sikorsky S-55 . Since the British Navy had already put some S-55s built by Sikorsky into service and Westland was already producing other Sikorsky models, it made sense to manufacture this type in Great Britain as well. The first Whirlwind Series 2 / HAR2 lifted on 12 November 1952 in Yeovil from, equipped with a Pratt & Whitney - radial engine R-1340-40 with 441.3 kW (600 hp). The first squadron of the RAF from 1955 was the 22nd Squadron in RAF Thorney Island .
After that, two modifications came off the production line for the British armed forces: The Whirlwind HAR3 ( Wright R-1300 star engine) and the Whirlwind HAR4 (Pratt & Whitney R-1340-57 star engine), the latter modified for use in the tropics and in Malaysia used.
Up to this point in time, the difference between the Whirlwind and the S-55 was barely noticeable. The engines used were not exactly the same, but still came from US production. Even at the beginning of the production of the Whirlwind , the use of engines of British origin was considered. Therefore, the British company Alvis had started developing a 14-cylinder double radial engine, which was available from 1955 in the form of the Leonides Major 755 . This engine was throttled from 647 kW (880 PS) to 551.6 kW (750 PS) and installed by Westland for the British Army in the Whirlwind HAR5 ( first flight on August 28, 1955).
The separation of the Whirlwind from its base model S-55 was continued when the engineers at Westland began to try to use a shaft turbine instead of the previous radial engines. The first test models were equipped with General Electric T58 turbines, later the De Havilland Gnome was used . Due to the different design of the turbines, the nose of the fuselage had been redesigned, whereby the technical advancement of the Whirlwind compared to the S-55 was also externally visible. The round "nose" of the previous models could be made flatter, which gave the crew a better view downwards.
The first prototype of the turbine-powered Whirlwind Series 3 started on February 28, 1959. The flight performance achieved represented a significant increase compared to the previous models. Equipped in this way, a few Whirlwinds were again sold to the armed forces ( Whirlwind HAR10 ).
A total of over 400 copies were built. About a quarter of the total production was exported all over the world.
Versions
Civil versions | |
Whirlwind Series 2 Whirlwind Series 3 |
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Military versions | |
Royal Air Force | HAR Mk.2 (identical to the Navy HAR Mk.1 except for the equipment) HAR Mk.4 H.AR Mk.10 |
British Army | HAR5 |
Royal Navy | HAR Mk.1 (except for the equipment identical to HAR Mk.2 of the Air Force) HAR Mk.3 H.AS Mk.7 ( submarine fighter) HAR Mk.9 |
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data HAR5 | Data Series 3 |
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Construction year | 1955 | 1959 |
Manufacturer | Westland Aircraft | |
Rotor diameter | 16.15 m | 16.15 m |
Hull length | 12.71 m | 13.46 m |
Length over all | 18.95 m | 18.95 m |
height | 4.06 m | 4.76 m |
Preparation mass | 2531 kg | 2130 kg |
Takeoff mass | 3538 kg | 3630 kg |
crew | 2 | 2 |
Top speed | 175 km / h | 175 km / h |
Hover altitude with ground effect |
1680 m | 4820 |
Service ceiling | nb | 5000 m |
Range | 570 km | 510 km |
Engine | 1 double star engine Alvis Leonides Major 755 throttled to 551.6 kW (750 PS) |
1 De Havilland Gnome H.1000 shaft turbine with 772.2 kW (1050 PS)
|
Users
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Austria
- Air Force of the Federal Army : 10 WS-55 Series 2
- Bahamas
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Brazil
- Força Aeronaval da Marinha do Brasil : 2 , 1 WS-55 series 1, 1 Mk.3 / HU.Mk.5 type
- Brunei
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- France
- Ghana
- Iran
- Jordan
- Yugoslavia
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Qatar
- 2 HAR.3
- Kuwait
- Nigeria
- Saudi Arabia
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Spain
- Ejército del Aire : 4 HAR.2
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United Kingdom
- Royal Air Force : 135
- In Germany, on the fly Airport Guetersloh stationed No. 230 Squadron of RAF Germany the HAR.Mk.10 from January 1963 to January 1965.
- Royal Navy : 179 (including 12 for the Royal Marines)
- British European Airways : 5