Westland WG Series Designations

[overscan]

Top to bottom:

WG.3A (two PT6A engines)
WG.3C (two Gnome engines)
WG.13F (early Lynx configuration)
WG.13Q (utility model with defensive nose armament)
WG.13R (armed escort, T72 engines)
WG.13X (one of the final designs prior to the Lynx)

Source:

• 'Lynx: Yeovil's Revolutionary Yearling' Air Enthusiast June 1972 p283-290

 

[overscan]

Re: Westland helicopter projects

According to the Lynx article, Westland projected a series of 4 helicopters around 1963 to cover the full spectrum of roles.

1963

WG.1 To meet HLH and ASW requirements. Tandem rotors powered by 4 Gnome H.1600 engines grouped around rear pylon. Gross weight up to 16,216kg; rotor diameter 17.37m; fuselage length 15.54m. 3 crew, up to 33 troops.

WG.3 Light tactical helicopter, 2 x PT6A turboshaft engines, gross weight 3630-4990kg.

WG.4 Single rotor, twin engine medium logistic & ASW project, to carry 24 troops with gross weight 7710kg.

WG.5 3 seat light helicopter, single engined with gross weight 1090kg

1964

WG.7 Suceeded WG.4, gross weight reduced to 5,670kg

WG.13 Refined WG.3 with 3630kg gross weight

1965

WG.11 Modified WG.1 with 3.66m fuselage extension for civil application, 60 passengers, fitted with wings in canard configuration.

WG.12 Succeeded WG.5 design, 4 seats and 1135kg gross weight

 

[overscan]

Re: Westland helicopter projects

The WG.1/11 was dropped in favour of Chinooks for the Army and Sea Kings for the Royal Navy.

WG.4/7 ultimately lost out to the Puma, WG.5/12 to the Gazelle, in the 1967 agreement which launched Puma, Lynx and Gazelle as joint UK/French programmes, with Westland having leadership on Lynx and Aerospatiale having leadership on the other two.

 

[hesham]

Re: Westland helicopter projects

What was the Westland project in HR.144T specification for ultra light helicopter.

 

[Apophenia]

Just to kick things off ... I thought it'd be useful to compile a WG designation list in one place. overscan covered most of this already.

Can anyone fill gaps? Notably missing are variations on the 6-8 seat tiltrotor and the 1973 study for a naval helicopter with supersonic rotors. Of course, those may have been given numbers in the WE sequence.

Then there is the question of the 1975 WG.25 Mote RPV follow-ons:

- Westland Wisp: Dec 1976, larger version of Mote RPV, 3 prototypes built
- Westland Wideeye: 1976/77, further enlarged vers. of Wisp with live feed
- Westland Sharpeye: [Project] 1983 stealth RPV, tailless, counter-rotating rotors
-- aka VTUAV (Vertical Takeoff Unmanned Air Vehicle), mockup/wind tunnel model only

As usual, questions about the designation system also abound. Eg:

* What do Westland designation letters stand for?
-- The pre-Westland Helicopters W prefix is self-evident. And one presumes that WA came from the Westland Aircraft Limited logo. But what about WE and WG? Westland Helicopters was formed in 1961 so do the WE and WG prefixes have something to do with Bristol, Fairey, or Saunders-Roe divisions? Or did all these designs originate with the Yeovil Division?

* Why did some tilt-rotor designs get WE prefixes, while others received WG designations?

 

[Apophenia]

WG.1 -- [Project] 1962/3 HLH derived from licenced* V-107, 4 x 1600 shp RR Gnome**
- WG.1: 3 + 33 troops, 35,740 lb MGW, 51' long, dropped in favor of Chinook/Sea King
-- * Licence for the Chinook bought around same time by Agusta-owned Meridionali
-- ** Gnomes grouped in external pairs (in contrast with 'buried' V-107 arrangement)

WG.2 -- [??]

WG.3 -- [Project] 1960 light tactical helicopter (Whirlwind repl.), 2 + 10 troops
- WG.3 layout approx. miniature Sea King - engines above cockpit, sloping fuse.
- WG.3A: 2 x 720 shp P&WC PT6, TO wt 3600 kg, external load to 3000 lb
-- As orig. proposed, PT6s drove mod. Whirlwind gearbox & Belvedere rear rotor
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1974/1974%20-%201301.html
- WG.3B: Sycamore gearbox (in place of WG.3A's Whirlwind transmission)
-- NB: WG.3A and WG.3B scaled to fit into RAF Hercules or AW.681 cargo holds*
-- * Requiring folding main rotor blades and/or detachable undercarriage skids
- WG.3C: 2 x 1200 shp RR Gnome, 15 troops, 5 tons, ext'l load 4000 lb Land Rover
-- WG.3C consid. overpowered; project reverted to PT6, becoming WG.13 (qv)

WG.4 -- [Project] medium logistic & ASW helicopter (Wessex repl.), 2 + 24 troops
- WG.4: 2 x 1200 shp RR Gnome [??], single rotor, gross weight 17,000 lb.

WG.5 -- [Project] 1963 light multi-purpose 3-seat LOH/'squad carrier' (Scout repl.)
- WG.5: single-engined [PT6?], 2,400 lb; succeeded by 4-seat WG.12 project (qv)

WG.6 -- 1955 Westminster PV military/civil HLH, 2 x 2,920 shp Napier Eland E.229A
-- Westminster based on licenced Sikorsky S-56 rotors, gearbox, & control system
- WG.6: 1956 Westminster Flying Test Rig (with steel-tube fuselage framework)
- WG.6: [Project] 1955, 40 pax civil transport, 100 mi range, cabin mockup built
-- Westminster civil cabin layout: 8 rows of 5 abreast (luggage racks above)
- WG.6: [Project] 1955, flying crane (under-slung loads/pods & outsized cargo)
-- WH.6 flying crane to lift 15,000 lb load, up to fifty-one troops, or 4 x Jeeps
-- http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11931.0.html

WG.7 -- [Project] 1964 medium logistic helicopter (succeeding WG.4 project)
- WG.7: 2 x RR Gnome [??], single rotor, 12,500 lb; Aérospatiale Puma adopted

WG.8 -- [? Project ?] possibly an enlarged version of the WG.4 project [?]
WG.9 -- [??]
WG.10 - [??]

WG.11 - [Project] 1965 WG.1 deriv. transport, canard wings, 4 x 1200 shp RR Gnome*
- WG.11 military version: short canards/wings/fuselage, to NASR.358 trans./ASW
- WG.11 civil version: 60 pax, 12' fuselage extension (comp. with military WG.11)
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%201335.html
-- * Gnome turboshafts paired on either side of fuselage (as per WG.1 layout)
-- WG.11 abandoned when Chinook chosen for Army/RAF and Sea King for Royal Navy

WG.12 - [Project] 1965 successor to the WG.5 LOH project, 4 seats, 2,500 lb gross
- WG.12 abandoned when Aérospatiale Gazelle chosen instead for British services

WG.13 - 1964, refined WG.3, 8,000 lb. (Whirlwind/Wasp repl.), becomes Lynx
- WG.13: PT6 forward-placed engines, higher cabin, pod-and-boom fuselage
- WG.13D: (following WG.3C) 1965 to GSOR 3335 multipurpose 3 + 7 Army helo
-- WG.13 orig. rotor diameter 49' 4" dictated by avail. engine power (720 shp)
- WG.13Q: utility vers., rear-placed 2 x 770 shp Continental T72,* nose turret
-- * 'Stretched' Astazou (T72 progenitor) consid. for added French content
- WG.13R: tandem 2-seat armed escort version, 2 x 770 shp T72s, nose turret
- WG.13S: combined utility/ armed escort version, 2 x T72s, dev. abandoned
-- 1966 WG.13 naval vers. dev. prompts a rotor diameter reduction to 44'
- WG.13T: armed reconnaissance version, 2 x 770 shp Continental T72s
- WG.13U: revised utility vers., 2 x 770 shp T72s, narrower tail boom
- WG.13W: revised civil vers., T72s, narrower tail boom, rounded nose
-- 1967 French Navy req. dictates further rotor diam. reduction to 42'
- WG.13X: revised utility vers., smaller rotor, semi-rigid hub, 2 x BS.360**
-- ** 900 shp Bristol Siddeley BS.360 becomes Rolls-Royce RS.360 then RR Gem
- WG.13[?]: wheeled maritime vers. for RN FFH/DDH and France's Aéronavale***
--- *** Due to initial Gem limitations, Aéronavale consid. alt. PT6s 'til 1972
- WG.13[?]: [Project] Armée de Terre attack deriv., 30mm gun, low-set wings
-- WG.13 gunship tandem 2-seat, French wanted 3-seater, abandoned Oct 1969
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1968/1968%20-%200705.html
-- http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,975.msg124001.html
- WG.13[?]: [Project] 1970 PT6-powered vers. considered for N. American sales
-- PT6-powered WG.13 revived 1974 to incr. N. American sales potential
- WG.13[?]: [Project] 1971 12-pax civil vers.**** with 18" cabin stretch
-- **** Stretched civil WG.13 to be in service by 1975, repl. by WG.30 (qv)

- NB: The first WG.13 Lynx (XW835) flew 21 Mar 1971. All production Lynx appear to have generic WG.13 factory designation without suffix letters (Srs and/or mark numbers being used to distinguish Lynx variants)

WG.14 - [??]

WG.15 - [Project] 197? tilt-wing twin-rotor inter-city airliner

WG.16 - [??]

WG.17 - [Project] further development of WG.11 concept as a compound helicopter
-- WG.17D stretched compared with WG.11, M45H turbofans over wings, buried T64s
- WG.17A: [??]
- WG.17B: [??]
- WG.17C: [??]
- WG.17D - 138-pax, 4 x GE T64-GE-16 + 2 x BS M45H turbofans, rear ramp

WG.18 - [??]
WG.19 - [??]
WG.20 - [??]

WG.21 - [Project] 1970 2-seat ground attack tilt-engine a/c, 2 x turboshafts*
- WG.21: initial design - straight-winged tilt-rotor, under-nose cannon turret
-- WG.21 rotor diameter 37.5 ft, length 41 ft, TO wt 22,000-26,000 lb, 530 kt
-- WG.21 derived from Westland's work on WE-01 6-8 seat tilt-rotor a/c project
- WG.21: later design concept - swept-winged tilt-wing, nose-mounted cannon
-- * 2 x RR Snecma M45 turboshaft [RB.411?] or 5,000 shp Avco Lycoming LTC4V-1
-- http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,324.msg104785.html#msg104785

WG.22 - [Project] tilt-wing VTOL 100-pax intercity airliner, 4 x 9450 shp* turboshafts**
-- * 6,580 shp normal rating, NB: Flight lists 9000 shp, other sources only 7000 shp
-- ** RR RB.411-01 or Lycoming LTC4V-4 turboshaft engines, mounted in pairs
-- NB: RB.411 was the Rolls-Royce version of Snecma M57HA, a M45D turboshaft deriv.

WG.23 - [??]
WG.24 - [??]

WG.25 - Mote, 1975 PV reconnaissance RPV, open-framed, counter-rotating rotors

WG.26 - [??]
WG.27 - [??]

WG.28 - [Project] Royal Navy Sea King Replacement (SKR) studies
-- [?? 1975 MRFH (Multi Role Fleet Helicopter) study ??]

WG.29 - [??]

WG.30 - Westland 30, 1979 22-pax Lynx evol. (orig. WG.30 Super Lynx), 40 built
- WG.30: Lynx dynamics (with longer, 'uncropped' blades) and new fuselage
- WG.30-100: initial prod. version, 2 x 1135 shp RR Gem Mk 41-1, 14 built.
- WG.30-100-60: Series 160, 2 x 1260 shp RR Gem 60-3 turboshafts, 24 built.
- WG.30-200: Series 200, 1983, 2 x 1712 shp GE CT7-2B, 1 built (c/n 007)
-- WG.30 TT30: Series 200 14-seat tactical transport derivative
-- WG.30 maritime: 1983 dedicated naval deriv. considered for export
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%200402.html
- WG.30-300: Series 300, 1986, 2 x 1712 shp GE CT7-2B, 1 Series 100 conv.
-- Series 300: 2 x CT7 or RTM 322, 5-blade BERP rotor, glass cockpit
-- WG.30 TT300: 1986 30-300 prototype conv. to 17-seat tactical trans., G-17-22
- WG.30-400: [Project] Series 400, RR Turbomeca RTM322 turboshafts, not built

WG.31 - Heliliner transport study for British Airways (early 1980s)

WG.32 - [??]

WG.33 - [Project] 1977 2-seat light AOP, 2 m circular fuselage, 5 m coaxial rotors
- WG.33: mockup 1977, 1 x Plessey Meon turbine (or piston engine), abandoned 1979
-- http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,605.msg4505.html
-- http://aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/west_wg33.php

WG.34 - 1978 SKR study to SR(S) 6646, 2 x (later 3) RR-Turbomeca RTM321
- WG.34: cancelled in favour of 1979 Anglo-Italian MoU leading to joint EH101
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%203004.html
-- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%202276.html

WG.35 - [??]

 

[hesham]

I am not sure about this info,


as I heard;


WG.8 was a large version project of WG.4.

 

[Stargazer2006]

Apophenia, you've done an amazing job! Thank you so much for this.

 

[Apophenia]

Cheers Stéphane

I am not sure about this info, as I heard; WG.8 was a large version project of WG.4.

Interesting. Thanks Hesham. If true, Westland had single-rotor project between the WG.4 and WG.6.

 

[Kiltonge]

First rendering I encountered of the WG.34 with Italian Marina markings rather than RN. Flight, 1979.



http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%202248.html

 

[TsrJoe]

Westland WG.33 mockup, 1977 (manned Wisp development, 2-seat light AOP., 2m circular fuselage, 5m coaxial rotors)

 

[uk 75]

Does anyone know why no pictures or impressions
of WG 4, 7 and 8 have ever appeared. Were they
simply based on the WG6 Westminster?
I am intrigued by the idea of a British helicopter
for my what-if RAF 1975 orbat.

 

[Hood]

Some updates/corrections:

WG.1 - tandem-rotor helicopter to OR.358, developed from earlier Westonian Mk.2 studies, May-July 1963. 4x H.1600 Gnome turboshafts (alternative studies 3x H.1600, 2x GE T64-4)

WG.7 - single-rotor helicopter to OR.365, developed from WG.4, 2x Gnome turboshafts, mid-1963.
-WG.7A - ?
-WG.7B - ?
-WG.7C - ?
-WG.7D - ?
-WG.7E - 14,000lb Take-Off Weight
-WG.7F - ?
-WG.7G - 15,500lb Take-Off Weight

WG.24 - Anti-submarine helicopter studies for Multi-Role Fleet Helicopter (MRFH), configurations include single-rotor (B1), tandem-rotor, lateral twin-rotors (D1) and tilt-rotors (F1), 24,000-32,500lb AUW, 1970

WG.27 - Single-rotor anti-submarine helicopter for Multi-Role Fleet Helicopter (MRFH), 28,000lb AUW, internal weapons stowage, 1973

WG.31 - Single-rotor anti-submarine helicopter for NSR.6646 for Sea King Replacement (SKR), 24,000lb AUW, 2x Lycoming PLT-27B or Turmo 1800, 1977-78

WG.32 - Supersonic Rotor Helicopter, 25,000lb AUW, 1973-76

WG.34 - development of WG.27 SKR, 26,500lb (later 27,000lb) AUW, 3x T700-GE-T401, October 1977-October 1980
-WG.34A Dynamic Test Vehicle (DTV), 3x T700-GE-700, transmission testbed using elements of WG.30, mock-up and prototype built but scrapped incomplete October 1980

 

[hesham]

Amazing my dear Hood.