Scout
Westland · United Kingdom · first flew 1960 · helicopter
The Westland Scout AH1 was the British Army's first widely used light helicopter, a rugged five-seat turbine machine for liaison, casualty evacuation and anti-tank work. Its naval sister was the wheeled, folding-rotor Wasp.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Stubby skid-equipped fuselage with a fully glazed cockpit |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Stubby skid-equipped fuselage with a fully glazed cockpit
- Exposed Nimbus turboshaft sitting on the open rear deck
- Slender tail boom with a small fin — near-twin of the naval Wasp, which has wheels
Look for a compact glazed cabin on skids, an uncowled engine perched behind the rotor head, and a thin tail boom with a small tail rotor. If an otherwise identical helicopter has four little wheels and a harpoon deck grip, it is a Wasp.
Specifications
- The Scout has a length of 12.29 m (40 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.83 m (32 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 193 km/h (120 mph).
- Typical crew: 1-2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed from the Saunders-Roe P.531 of 1958 after Westland absorbed Saro, the production Scout first flew in August 1960 powered by a derated Bristol Siddeley Nimbus. Around 150 were delivered to the Army Air Corps from 1963.
Variants
The Scout AH1 was the Army's land version on skids; the Westland Wasp HAS1 was the same airframe adapted for frigate decks with castoring wheels and weapon fits for torpedoes. Small export batches went to countries including Jordan, Bahrain and Uganda.
Where you'll see it
Scouts served the Army Air Corps in Aden, Borneo and Northern Ireland, and in the 1982 Falklands War they flew casualty evacuation and fired SS.11 missiles in action. The Lynx replaced them by the 1990s, but several remain airworthy on the UK display circuit.
Related aircraft
- Westland Whirlwind HAR.10
- Whirlwind
- Westland Lynx
- Lysander
- Agusta AB 47J-3
- Bell UH-1B Iroquois
- Enstrom 280 Shark
- Saunders-Roe P.531-2
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