First Look at Lynx - Prototype WG13 First Flight, 1971

The initial design of Lynx, then known as the Westland WG.13, was started in the mid-1960s as a replacement for the Westland Scout and Wasp, and a more advanced alternative to the UH-1 Iroquois. The design was to be powered by a pair of Bristol Siddeley BS.360 turboshaft engines. As part of the Anglo-French helicopter agreement signed in February 1967, French company Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) had a 30 per cent share of production work, Westland performing the remainder. It was intended that France would procure the Lynx for its Navy and a heavily modified armed reconnaissance variant for the French Army, with the United Kingdom in return buying Aérospatiale Gazelle and Puma for its armed forces. The first Lynx prototype took its maiden flight on 21 March 1971. This British designed aircraft developed into the best small ship helicopter and also holds the world’s helicopter speed record. Aircraft Type: Prototype Lynx WG13 Circa: 1971