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Westland Aircraft

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Westland Aircraft
IndustryAviation
Founded1915 as Westland Works
1935 as Westland Aircraft following separation from Petters Ltd
Defunct1961 (1961)
FateConsolidated
SuccessorWestland Helicopters
HeadquartersYeovil, Somerset, England
Key people
ProductsFixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft

Westland Aircraft was a UK aircraft manufacturer based in Yeovil, Somerset. Established as an independent entity when it separated from Petters Limited shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, the company had been involved in aircraft production since 1915. During the war, while many of its designs did not achieve widespread success, the Lysander became a vital liaison aircraft for the Royal Air Force. Postwar, Westland shifted its emphasis towards helicopter manufacturing and eventually merged with other British companies to form Westland Helicopters in 1961.

Origins

File:Westland Wapiti 1 ExCC.jpg
Westland Wapiti

The Westland Aircraft Works was established in 1915 as part of Petters to fulfill government contracts for licensed production of initially 12 Short Type 184 seaplanes, followed by an order for 20 Short Admiralty Type 166. Additional wartime contracts included licensed builds of the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, the de Havilland-designed Airco DH.4, Airco DH.9, Airco DH.9A, and the Vickers Vimy. The designation "Westland" was selected by Mrs Petter after land acquired in 1913 at West Hendford—originally intended for a new foundry—became the hub of aircraft manufacturing.[1] Leveraging its licensed production expertise, Westland began designing proprietary aircraft, debuting with the Westland N.1B in 1917, followed by the Wagtail and the Weasel in 1918.

After hostilities ceased, Westland developed light civil aircraft such as the Limousine and the Woodpigeon, though its most notable postwar military design was the close support aircraft, the Wapiti. In 1935, Petters separated its aircraft manufacturing division from its engine operations to establish Westland Aircraft Limited, headquartered in Yeovil, Somerset.

World War Two

File:Westland whirlwind.jpg
Westland Whirlwind heavy fighter

The Whirlwind was the United Kingdom's inaugural fighter equipped with cannons and outpaced many contemporary British aircraft, although its development was hampered by Rolls-Royce's difficulties in engine production. The Lysander, initially designed for army cooperation and reconnaissance, was deemed too vulnerable for such roles but gained recognition for covert operations, transporting agents into Nazi-occupied Europe. During the war, Westland proposed several new aircraft designs; however, only the Welkin received approval. This twin-engine interceptor was engineered for high-altitude missions to counteract German bombers targeting Britain. Limited production ensued when the anticipated threat failed to materialize.

Throughout much of the conflict, Westland's manufacturing facilities were repurposed to produce Supermarine Spitfire fighters after the Supermarine plant in Southampton was incapacitated by bombing during the Battle of Britain. In fact, Westland manufactured more Spitfires than any other company. Subsequently, Westland became a principal developer of the Supermarine Seafire, a naval adaptation of the Spitfire.

Post-war success

File:Dragonfly-wg751.jpg
Westland WS-51 Dragonfly

The Westland Wyvern emerged as a post-war carrier-based strike-fighter serving the Fleet Air Arm until 1958.

After World War II, Westland shifted focus away from fixed-wing aircraft, dedicating itself exclusively to helicopter production under a licensing arrangement with Sikorsky. This strategic pivot led to the departure of chief designer W.E.W. Petter, who went on to establish a new aircraft division at English Electric, achieving notable success.[2]

Helicopter manufacturing commenced with the Sikorsky S-51, which first flew in 1948 and entered service as the Westland-Sikorsky Dragonfly with both the Royal Navy and RAF starting in 1950. An enhanced model, the Widgeon, was developed but met with limited success. The Dragonfly’s achievements were replicated with the adoption of the Sikorsky S-55, rebranded as the Whirlwind, and further extended with a re-engined version of the Sikorsky S-58, available in both turboshaft and turbine-powered variants as the Wessex.

In 1952, Westland outlined four prospective helicopter projects for development:

  • The W-80, a short-range medium-lift helicopter featuring fixed landing gear and accommodating 24 passengers; its design bore resemblance to what would later become the Westland Commando.
  • The W-81, a streamlined high-speed helicopter capable of carrying 32 passengers, equipped with retractable landing gear and twin turbine engines mounted on the fuselage, achieving speeds up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). This design anticipated many characteristics common in contemporary helicopters.
  • The W-85, an exceptionally large military helicopter designed to transport 15 tons or approximately 100 troops. Its spacious interior could house jeeps and medium artillery side-by-side. Loading operations were facilitated by a clam shell door on the front and a retractable ramp at the rear. Propulsion involved a blade tip system where each of the three enormous rotor blades featured streamlined pods containing two turbojet engines each.[3]
  • The W-90, an immense troop transport helicopter accommodating 450 personnel, powered by three Sapphire turbojets mounted at rotor tips.[4] Proposed in 1952, it featured an estimated rotor diameter of 200 ft (61 m).

None of these helicopter concepts progressed beyond preliminary designs.[5] Westland did advance a private venture involving a large space-frame cargo helicopter utilizing a Sikorsky rotor hub—the Westland Westminster—although this project was eventually abandoned in favor of government-backed development of the Fairey Rotodyne.

Compulsory mergers

Between 1959 and 1961, the British government mandated the amalgamation of approximately twenty British aviation companies into three principal entities by leveraging the promise of project financing and the threat of contract withdrawal. Although most fixed-wing aircraft design and manufacturing were concentrated within the British Aircraft Corporation and the Hawker Siddeley Group, the helicopter divisions of Bristol, Fairey, and Saunders-Roe—which also specialized in hovercraft—were combined with Westland to establish Westland Helicopters in 1961.

Fixed-wing aircraft

File:Westland Lysander-B-MA.jpg
Westland Lysander

Rotorcraft

File:WestlandWhirlwindHAR10-XJ729.jpg
Westland Whirlwind
  • The joint Cierva/Westland project, the Cierva C.29, was constructed but never took flight
  • The two-seat autogiro, Westland CL.20, was developed by Westland; its "CL" designation originates from Cierva and George Lepere (of Leo et Oliver). Further production was halted due to wartime circumstances.
  • Westland Aircraft assumed responsibility for the Fairey Rotodyne program in May 1960
  • The licensed version of the American Sikorsky S-51, known as the Westland Dragonfly, was produced under license
  • The turbine-powered adaptation of the Sikorsky S-58 was produced as the Westland Wessex
  • The licensed British version of the U.S. Sikorsky S-55/H-19 Chickasaw, equipped with British engines, was named the Whirlwind
  • The private development project, the Widgeon, aimed to improve upon the Westland WS-51 Dragonfly
  • The heavy-lift helicopter prototype developed privately was the 1958 model, the Westland Westminster, which remained at prototype stage only
  • A small remote-controlled helicopter known as the Westland Wisp

Other products

Subsidiaries

Normalair was established to further develop and commercialize pressure relief valves initially designed for use in the Welkin aircraft project.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ He later left EE to join Folland and design the Gnat
  3. ↑ The World's Helicopters" Flight 1953 p116
  4. ↑ James, Derek. Westland Aircraft since 1915: Putnam, 1991. ISBN 0-85177-847-X page 498.
  5. ↑ "Helicopter Forecast from England" Popular Mechanics, March 1951, pp. 88–89.

References

External links

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