Lynx
Sign in to saveAlso known as Westland Lynx, AgustaWestland Lynx, Sea Lynx, Lynx helicopter
1971 multi-role combat helicopter family by Westland
Key facts
- Type
- Multi-purpose military helicopter
- National origin
- United Kingdom
- Manufacturer
- Westland Helicopters , AgustaWestland
- Status
- In service
- Primary users
- British Army (historical) Royal Navy (historical) German Navy See Operators for others
- Number built
- 450 (as of 2009)
- First flight
- 21 March 1971
- Retired
- 2011 (Royal Danish Navy) 2012 (Royal Netherlands Navy) 2014 (Royal Norwegian Air Force) 2017 (Royal Navy) 2018 (British Army) 2020 (French Navy)
- Developed into
- Westland 30 AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Diameter
- 12.8
- Image
- British Army Westland WG-13 Lynx AH7 ZX616 Royal International Air Tattoo 2024 01.jpg
- Length
- 12.06
Show 5 more facts
- Commons gallery
- Westland Lynx
- Commons category
- Westland Lynx
- first flight
- 1971-03-21
- service retirement
- 2017-00-00
- service entry
- 1978-00-00
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Article
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants. The Lynx went into operational usage in 1977 and was later adopted by the armed forces of over a dozen nations, primarily serving in the battlefield utility, anti-armour, search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare roles.
The Lynx is a fully aerobatic helicopter with the ability to perform loops and rolls. In 1986, a specially modified Lynx set the current Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's official airspeed record for helicopters (category excludes compound helicopters) at 400.87 km/h (249.09 mph), which remains unbroken as of January 2022.