First viewed as simply an extension of the ship’s weapons systems - a platform which could extend the range of depth charges or torpedoes, and replace the ageing Westland Wasp - the Lynx with its twin-engined design was felt to offer better handling and reliability in severe weather conditions. But, like the Wasp, it was expected to rely on its parent ship to acquire its targets so the Lynx was simply to offer no more than an increase in loiter time when on station. After 28 years in front-line service the Lynx has gone far beyond the limited capabilities expected of it, and along the way has achieved a highly respected war record. Hard to believe for a helicopter that was developed as a British Army requirement to fulfil the role of a battlefield taxi.
         
         The Westland Lynx was developed in February 1967, under the terms of an Anglo-French agreement for three new helicopters. Britain took a 65 per cent responsibility for the Lynx programme, with France under Aérospatiale (now Eurocopter), taking the lead in the other designs, which would lead to the Gazelle and Puma. The origins for the Lynx lie within the WG.13 proposal, which was schemed in general-purpose naval and civilian applications. So versatile did the design appear that the concept was expanded to Land-based tactical operations, in which the type’s agility and performance would prove to be a very considerable benefit.

         The prototype of the Lynx, XW835, painted in a distinctive overall yellow colour scheme, flew on the 2lst March 1971, and was used for initial handling trials and later a vibration survey after being damaged in a heavy landing, XW836 served as a static test airframe, being replaced by XW837 which flew on the 28th September 1971. Six prototypes/development aircraft were used exhaustively for all aspects of the certification programme, for trials and for record-breaking.

         Flight testing went well despite the loss of the first prototype. The second machine XW836, painted grey, completed vibration testing before becoming the fourth to fly on 24th March 1972. XW837, the third aircraft was bright red and handled the advanced Marconi automatic flight control system, as well as overseas hot/cold, high/desert/snow testing. XW838 was blue, and introduced the monobloc rotor hub and a reverse-direction tail rotor, to improve low-speed controllability. XW839 was peach colour and virtually up to production standard as far as the basic airframe was concerned. The first aircraft in utility configuration, XX153 flew on the l5th April 1972, and could be distinguished by its long nose, it was essentially a British Army Lynx AH Mk 1 and was soon to establish a number of records with the Fedération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Class Ele, during June 1972. Such is the success of the Lynx that the development and introduction of the Lynx into the British Army and Royal Marines and its use as a battlefield anti-tank platform.

       Basically similar to the original AH Mk 1, the baseline Royal Navy (RN) variant was the HAS Mk 2, and was viewed as a dedicated Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) platform for ‘small ship’ operations. Externally, the naval variant could be easily distinguished by its fixed tricycle undercarriage, in place of skids. Naval features included a “deck-lock” harpoon, a two-bag flotation system and a folding tailboom. The aircraft’s low profile main rotor gearbox and wide track undercarriage gave the Lynx a low centre of gravity, which in turn resulted in good stability on a pitching deck.

      The dedicated naval version also had hardpoints and pylons to allow the carriage of weapons, which were expected to include Mk 44 or Mk 46 torpedoes, Mk 11 depth charges or up to four Sea Skua Anti-Ship Missiles (ASMs). The distinguishing bulged nose of the naval variants housed a Seaspray Mk 1 monopulse I-band radar, although the radar’s primarily purposes were to illuminate the target for its semi-active radar-homing Sea Skua missiles, and to provide improved detection of its ship-board home in foul weather. The HAS Mk 2 introduced the Rolls-Royce Gem 2 Mk 100 engines rated at 900shp (671kW).

     Also introduced were simple manual folding main rotors and the tail rotor pylon, to such dimensions as to allow the storage of two Lynx in a single ship’s hangar.

     As the potential of the Lynx was beginning to be recognised by the Admiralty, coupled with the need lo urgently replace the Wasp, the development of the naval variant Lynx assumed greater priority than those for the Army, and this was recognised in the initial development batch of prototypes which included three RN standard HAS Mk 2 prototypes, XX469, XX510 and XX910, and two similar aircraft for the French Navy (Aéronavale), XX904 and XX911. These were designated pré-production aircraft and incorporated numerous internal changes compared to the first five aircraft in the batch, which were little more than prototypes.

     What can be regarded as the first true production HAS Mk 2 naval variant XZ227, made its maiden flight on the l0th February 1976, and it is interesting to note that it was almost one year before the first Army AH Mk 1, XZ170. Suitably impressed, the RN awarded Westland a contract for 60 HAS Mk 2s.

      The Lynx HAS Mk 2 entered service with No.700L Squadron, which it formed in September 1976. The unit functioned as a joint RN/Royal Netherlands Navy Intensive Flying Trials Unit; as by this stage the Dutch were keen lo acquire the Lynx for their navy. By December 1977, the Intensive Flying Trials Unit had been disbanded in order to form the first RN Lynx training squadron, No. 702, which formed on January 3rd 1978, so functioning as HQ Squadron for Lynx-equipped Ships Flights, a role performed until the 1st January 1981, when No.815 Squadron took over as the HQ unit.

      The first operational deployment occurred on the 8th February 1978, aboard the HMS Phoebe, and the aircraft was subsequently deployed aboard Type 21 frigates and Type 42 destroyers and later aboard Type 22 and Type 23 frigates.

     Within months the Lynx soon demonstrated its impressive capabilities with an exceptional degree of reliability and maintainability. One such statistic is, from being fully secured in the hangar, a Lynx can be moved onto the deck, rotors spread, loaded, armed and airborne in less than 12 minutes. Under simulated combat conditions the Lynx achieved 95 per cent mission-ready rates.

     As the maritime threat to the RN evolved and intensified with the expansion of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, the Lynx HAS Mk 2s were modified for new roles, including Anti-Surface Vessel (ASV) missions, autonomous ASW, and Electronic Counter Surveillance Measures (ECSM). Sea Skua ASMs and a towed Magnetic
Anomaly Detector (MAD) buoy were retrofitted to most of the HAS Mk 2s after delivery, to allow them lo assume their new duties. Many of these modifications were just in time as the Lynx of the RN were soon to have their combat debut over the cold
waters of the South Atlantic as part of Operation Corporate (Falklands War).