From the MoD
The Royal Navy’s next-generation helicopter Wildcat, is pictured onboard HMS Iron Duke during three days of trials at sea.
A Wildcat touched down onto the flight deck of HMS Iron Duke at the Naval Base as part of intensive tests before the fast and potent helicopter is declared operational.
In just three years’ time the Wildcat will be the backbone of the Royal Navy’s frigate and destroyer operations around the globe, replacing the trusted Lynx which has served the Fleet Air Arm loyally since the mid-70s.
Next month the aircraft will begin trials at sea but not before necessary fundamental checks are carried out on board HMS Iron Duke.
As well as landing on the frigate, a 31-strong test team need to ensure Wildcat can be moved in and out of the hangar using the ship’s helicopter recovery system. On-board refuelling and ammunition checks were also carried out
Wildcat Helicopter Onboard HMS Iron Duke for Trials
Wildcat Helicopter Onboard HMS Iron Duke for Trials
Wildcat Helicopter Onboard HMS Iron Duke for Trials
Wildcat Helicopter Onboard HMS Iron Duke for Trials
A Wildcat helicopter takes off from RFA Argus during trials.
The wildcat team conducted various movements around the flight deck, moving the aircraft to different spots using a mechanical handler and a flight deck tractor as well as refuelling and weapon loading.
The trials alongside were conducted prior to the ship sailing for 4 weeks where the wildcat team continued testing the aircraft at sea.
Wildcat Helicopter Trials Onboard RFA Argus
Wildcat Helicopter Trials Onboard RFA Argus
Hands to Flying Stations! Hands to Flying Stations!
No gash to be ditched. No smoking on the upper deck. That is all……….
I am happy-ish about this. More evolution than revolution. Not much more to say really.
A huge capability enhancement for the FF/DD community, as for the first time we will have a Lynx equipped with Link.
Yes it is a capability jump and a welcome one at that. It is a good honest considered pragmatic. But I am still only happy-ish; I don’t do happy.
X
You literally made me laugh out loud – happy memories
“Action Lynx, action Lynx – flight commander to the Ops room at the rush….”
I have quite a few hours in the back of Lynx’s, both as boarding party and as int’ phot (yes I got to sit in the door with my legs hanging out, but armed with a Hassleblad and Nikon rather than a Gimpy – still cool !).
Now we just have to hope Son-of-Skua gives them a good weapon system, plus LMM and .50 cals – what is not to be happy about X ??
p.s. T23 flight decks are friggin huge ! First flight in back of Hermione’s Lynx, looking over the crew’s shoulders through the windscreen thinking “were landing on that !”
This along with HM2 will bring FAA right on the edge of maritime support helicopters…kinda-sorta lol
Also, heard the Danes have selected it along with the SeaHawk for their Lynx replacement…small order, but at least chance for more development.
“The Royal Navy’s next-generation helicopter Wildcat, is pictured onboard HMS Iron Duke during three days of trials at sea.”
This should qualify as an outright lie.
It’s not “next generation”, but “next batch”.
S O, Lynx HMA.10 doesn’t sound as exciting as Wildcat, sounds more like a joint AW/MOD marketing ploy.
Also, reading through the available literature online I think AW missed out on a golden opportunity to say things like…..
…and the tailboom shouldn’t crack on this one!
…not having Gem engines, oil doesn’t p*ss down the side of the airframe after shutdown.
…..I could go on.
I normally do the doubting… but is it not a fantastic machine, for its size
- I said nothing about the unit cost
A sensible little development. More please.
ACC, “but is it not a fantastic machine”.
Having worked on Lynx, the design is obviously a technical improvement (but then they’ve had 30 years of service experience to fall back on), but from a battle damage repair perspective, how does using monolithic slabs in the structure ease repair compared to old fashioned skin, frames and stringers? Will the tailboom stll crack? Willl the composite cabin roof still suffer from delamination or have they improved or changed design of the structure?
From an operational point of you, it depends on what you want, for the RN its probably the best thing since sliced bread, or at least the HMA.8. For the AAC, its a cabin volume thing or lack of it. In NI, from the blokes I’ve spoken to, the record is nine blokes in the back, sat on the floor and I’m sure the door gunner was in as well, must’ve been a right squeeze!
But now they’ve changed the role to recce any cabin space is a bonus. To me, it now does the same job as the OH-58D Kiowa, which makes it a big and expensive machine for the job. Being fitted out for naval ops is the way to go for all things joint, but I think they should’ve made the cabin bigger to get a full section in and improve the utility. As an aside, re-engineing the Mk 9 to make it the Mk 9A has done wonders, its only a shame they didn’t do it sooner.
A real concern I have is that Wildcat is some 600 kg heavier than Lynx, but uses the same rotor disc, which may have an effect on the flight envelope when hot and high. I’ve read similar concerns over on pprune, hopefully there’s nothing to worry about, but its still a concern.
I should add in defence of the Lynx, compared to the Seahawk/Blackhawk, although the main gearbox doesn’t have a run-dry capability, there have been cases where that has happened but the Lynx carried on regardless and landed without incident. This compares with a recent Blackhawk crash which occurred after the main rotor gearbox lost its lube, and the Blackhawk is supposed to have a run-dry rating.
Why have you guys spent so much treasure and and effort enhancing the 40 year old Lynx design without stretching the cabin?
The Lynx lost out on a whole series of export orders, including to the RAN, simply because the cabin is too small. The same issue will impact the Wildcat however much it has been improved in other areas.
You are in a weird situation of having the Wildcat which is too small to be multi purpose and the EH101 which is too big for export success.
@Aussie Johnno: got it in one about the Lynx. If we’d just done the usual Westland thing and license produced the H60, we’d have a dual type fleet across the Army, RAF and RN….
Ace,
Not being an Army type, what is the value of having a small helicopter that can move only 7-10 people? Given that the AAC and RAF have primarily opted for Chinook and Puma to move troops, and Watchkeepr for the persistent surveillance role, would you really be moving such small numbers around as part of an assault? Wildcat in the recce role sounds like common sense, a small fast airframe with good sensors, a light attack ability and less likely to be a critical loss than an Apache, plus room for a couple of observers to interpret the battlefield prior to the main event. I noted that 4 extra Wildcats have been ordered for SF use, but their platform of choice is still Chinook. Aussie Johnno makes a good point about being too small, but given the export success of the Lynx in its many forms, surely another country would have asked for the bigger cabin by now?
Aussie Johnno and WF
Strangely enough, aircraft come in different size so that you can pick the one that works for you ! There was no “requirement” to stretch the Lynx from either the Army or the Navy, so if Westland’s had done so (with money from where”) they would not have been meeting the stated requirements of the customer for which the Wildcat was actually designed.
RE “4 extra Wildcats have been ordered for SF use, but their platform of choice is still Chinook. Aussie Johnno makes a good point about being too small, but given the export success of the Lynx in its many forms, surely another country would have asked for the bigger cabin by now?”
-it was actually 8, the other 4 coming from the already confirmed order quantity
- the export success must be down to (not only the maritime specs, to begin with, but)the fact that on any ship, accommodating a helo in one or the other dimension that it dictates will make the ship overall so much bigger that the cost (building and operating) just grows out of proportion with the benefit?
@ Jed re happy about Wildcat
I am just a bit stunned that MoD(N) are doing something right. And yes there are lots of toys coming too.
But I think my happy ration was used up on the MARS announcement.
As for T23 having a huge flight deck well T45′s are bloody humongous. If you stand amidships you can’t see the edge…..
Jed, “Strangely enough, aircraft come in different size so that you can pick the one that works for you!”
Not if your the Army Air Corps you can’t, you get what Westlands make and what the politicians tell you you’re getting and that’s it.
Somewhatinvolved, “would you really be moving such small numbers around as part of an assault?”
No, that would be a planned op, but for casevac, carrying out Eagle patrol as in NI, having the luxery of two door gunners instead of one, having a winch and operator etc. Instead we have an expensive systems carrier, with a cabin that is too large for its intended role and too small to be really useful at much else.
The Army Air Corps, flying the best anti submarine helicopters money can buy !
TD, well said!