Westland Witch

Westland Aircraft

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1915
Headquarters	Yeovil , United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft

The Westland Witch was a British prototype bomber that failed to progress beyond the experimental stage, with its inaugural flight taking place in 1928. Only one unit of this model was constructed.

Development

Designed in response to Air Ministry specification 23/25, the Witch was intended as a single-engine day bomber capable of operating at high altitudes. Originally, the specification called for the Bristol Orion engine—a turbocharged variant of the Bristol Jupiter—but due to complications in Orion's development, various Jupiter engines were installed instead. Engine reliability issues affected all contenders submitted under specification 23/25, resulting in none advancing to production.

Featuring a strut-supported parasol wing monoplane design, the Witch's wing combined wood and steel elements and measured approximately 61 ft (19 m) across. Its fuselage consisted of duralumin and steel tubing covered by fabric, housing an uncowled Jupiter engine mounted at the front. The aircraft accommodated two crew members: a pilot and a gunner/bombardier. Positioned behind the pilot, the gunner operated a Lewis gun mounted on a Scarff ring and could also assume a prone position for bomb aiming.

A bomb bay was integrated into the fuselage ahead of the pilot's cockpit, featuring four doors that could be manually opened by the bombardier or would release automatically under bomb weight. The specification allowed for either one 520 lb bomb or multiple smaller munitions to be carried. Incorporating this internal bomb bay necessitated a complex split-axle fixed undercarriage design, supported by bracing connected to both the fuselage and wing struts, as a conventional cross-axle would obstruct bomb release.

The sole prototype, bearing serial number J8596, undertook its maiden flight on 30 January 1928 at RAF Andover, piloted by Louis Paget. The aircraft was commended for its bombing stability and reached a top speed of 138 mph; however, its landing speed of 62 mph was considered excessively high. Despite these positive attributes, structural deficiencies—including repeated failures of landing gear struts and other components—led to its rejection for operational service.

Despite these setbacks, the same airframe was updated to Mk.II standard the following year, replacing the original Jupiter VI engine with a Jupiter VIIIF variant. This version served primarily as a parachute testing platform until its retirement in 1931.