Westland Whirlwind (helicopter)
1953 helicopter series by Westland / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Westland Whirlwind helicopter was a British licence-built version of the U.S. Sikorsky S-55/H-19 Chickasaw. It primarily served with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm in anti-submarine and search and rescue roles. It was also exported to other countries, and the Whirlwind was succeeded by the turbine powered Westland Wessex (based on the Sikorsky H-34) which was developed from the H-19/Whirlwind. The helicopter was made in many variants using a variety of radial (piston) and turbine engines.
Whirlwind | |
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A Royal Air Force Whirlwind HAR.10 of the RAF Search and Rescue Force at RIAT 2018 | |
Role | Helicopter |
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | Westland Aircraft |
First flight | August 1953 |
Introduction | 1954 |
Retired | 1982 |
Primary users | Royal Navy Royal Air Force list |
Produced | 1953–1966 |
Number built | 360+ |
Developed from | Sikorsky H-19 |
Whirlwind helicopters fitted with turbine power served right up until the early 1980s, and a converted Whirlwind was in the Queen's Flight.