Westland W.37 (N.114T)

Hi,

Does anyone know more Info about Westland W.37
jet fighter project ?.

Tony Buttler knows more :
Designed for specification N.114T from 1951, demanding a
day/night fighter with crew of two and a AI.18 radar.
The W.37 should have had an Avon RA.12, alternatively
a Sapphire 4.

According to the 1965 book Westland 50, the W.37 was an earlier and quite distinct project from the one described by Tony Buttler and depicted by Jens Baganz above!

Here is what the book has to say about the project:

While the main drawing office was busy on development of the Wyvern, the project office initiated a number of interesting design studies.
One, designated W-37, was for a low-wing monoplane two-seat jet trainer. The idea was to introduce a programme of all-jet training, dispensing with the practice of giving ab initio training in piston-engined aircraft (this procedure was adopted later by the Royal Air Force, the first air force to do so, with the Jet Provost).

Click to expand...

I am convinced that the allocation of the designation W.37 to the N.114T project of 1951 can only be a mistake...
Why? Because of the chronology:

W.34 1944 N.11/44 (OR.174) / F.13/44 (OR.194)
W.35 1945 N.12/45… NSR/A.7 (OR.213)
W.36 1946 (circa)
W.37 1947 (circa)
W.38 1948 T.12/48 (OR.174)

It seems pretty obvious given the chronology that a 1951 project simply does NOT fit into the continuity!
Besides, there is no indication that the W.** system was still in use by 1951.

Seems very plausible and without doubt you are the one with a profound knowledge of
designation systems. And in Derek James book the W.37 actually is mentioned as a single
engined jet trainer (W.37-1 as a two-seat and W.37-2 as single seat trainer), so the trainer
actually holds the majority here. Nevertheless, either way we are going to blame one of those
reputable sources, maybe a comment by Tony Buttler shouldn't be too far away ?

According to this, (http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=23252.0;attach=510891;image), which you posted Stephane, the W. series was introduced and numbered retrospectively to existing Westland aircraft just before the first Westland Sikorsky helicopter (circa 1946). It never existed earlier.


At that time, the Wyvern (W.36) was the most recent design. W.37 / W.38 might then have been applied to new projects in 1947/48.


Most likely, W.37 was reused after the first W.37 (1947 trainer) project was not successful. Reuse of designations is quite common e.g. when production type designations are tentatively applied to projects, i.e. if built, the trainer would have been W.37 as the next Westland product after Wyvern. If N114T was built, it would still have been the next product after Wyvern.

Westland's N114T made it to mockup, so I would imagine there is sufficent documentation to support its designation, though I haven't researched it myself.