Westland Lynx HAS.3
Westland Helicopters · United Kingdom · first flew 1976 · helicopter
The Lynx HAS.3 was the Royal Navy's principal shipborne anti-submarine and anti-surface helicopter, distinguished from the Army variant by its folding tail, chin radar, and shipboard deck-lock fittings.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 11.92 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Folding tail boom for shipboard stowage — the Army AH.7 tail does not fold
- Large chin-mounted Ferranti Seaspray search radar radome beneath the nose, absent on Army variants
- Deck lock haul-down and securing equipment visible as reinforced hardpoints on the skid/undercarriage frame
The folding tail and chin Seaspray radome are the clearest identifiers versus the Army Lynx AH.7 which has neither; the Wildcat successor is sleeker with a different nose profile and modern avionics pods.
Specifications
- The Westland Lynx HAS.3 has a length of 11.92 m (39 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.8 m (42 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 259 km/h (161 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 pilots + 1 observer.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Entering RN service in 1981, the HAS.3 improved upon the HAS.2 with uprated Rolls-Royce Gem engines and updated ASW systems, operating from Type 42 destroyers and Type 22 frigates throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It carried Sea Skua anti-ship missiles and Stingray torpedoes and saw combat in the Falklands War in 1982.
Variants
The HAS.3GM introduced a FLIR and improved self-defence fit; HAS.3CTS added a computerised tactical system. The Super Lynx series offered the folding tail and radar in an uprated export package.
Where you'll see it
702, 815 and 829 NAS flew the HAS.3 from RN frigates and destroyers; it was credited with the first successful Sea Skua strike against Argentine patrol vessels in 1982 and remained the backbone of the shipborne light helicopter force until the Wildcat began replacing it from 2015.
Related aircraft
- Westland Lynx AH1
- Westland Sea King HAR.3
- Westland Sea King HC.4 Commando
- Westland WG.13 (Lynx)
- Bell 222
- Hughes MD 500D
- Ka-29
- Kamov Ka-29TB
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