Portal:Royal Air Force/Selected ship/12
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| AgustaWestland Lynx | |
|---|---|
 Lynx HAS3 of the Black Cats (Royal Navy) display team |
|
| Type | Helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Westland/AgustaWestland |
| Maiden flight | 21 March 1971 |
| Introduced | 1978 |
| Status | Active service |
| Primary users | Army Air Corps (British Army) Fleet Air Arm (Royal Navy) |
| Produced | 1978-date |
| Variants | Westland WG.30 |
The Westland Lynx is a helicopter designed by Westland and built at Westland's factory in Yeovil, first flying on 21 March 1971 as the Westland WG.13. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants, which went into operational usage in 1977 and were later adopted by the armed forces of over a dozen nations. The helicopter is now produced and marketed by AgustaWestland.
As part of the Anglo-French helicopter agreement signed in February 1967 the French company Aérospatiale were given a workshare in the manufacturing programme.
When piloted by Roy Moxam in 1972, it broke the world record over 15 and 25 km by flying at 321.74 km/h. It also set a new 100 km closed circuit record shortly afterwards, flying at 318.504 km/h. In 1986, a specially modified Westland Lynx piloted by John Egginton set an absolute speed record for helicopters over a 15 and 25 km course by reaching 400.87 km/h (249.09 mp/h). The Lynx is one of the most agile helicopters in the world, capable of performing loops and rolls.
The British Army ordered 100 Lynx AH (Army Helicopter) Mk.1 for various roles, including tactical transport, armed escort, anti-tank warfare (with eight TOW missiles), reconnaissance and evacuation. The Army has fitted a Marconi Elliot AFCS system onto the Lynx for automatic stabilisation on three axis.
