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French Navy / Marine Nationale Westland Lynx Mk.2/4(FN) |
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26 Lynx Mk.2(FN) 14 Lynx Mk.4(FN) |
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The Westland Lynx is a British
multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by
Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended
as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest
led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants. The
Lynx went into operational usage in 1977 and was later adopted by
the armed forces of over a dozen nations, primarily serving in the
battlefield utility, anti-armour, search and rescue and
anti-submarine warfare roles. The Lynx is a fully aerobatic helicopter with the ability to perform loops and rolls. In 1986, a specially modified Lynx set the current Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's official airspeed record for helicopters (category excludes compound helicopters) at 400.87 km/h (249.09 mph), which remains unbroken as of 2017. Several land and naval variants of the Lynx have been produced along with some major derivatives. The Westland 30 was produced as a civil utility helicopter; it was not a commercial success and only a small number were built during the 1980s. In the 21st century, a modernised variant of the Lynx was designed as a multi-role combat helicopter, designated as the AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat; the Wildcat is intended to replace existing Lynx helicopters. The Lynx remains in production by AgustaWestland, the successor to Westland Helicopters. In 1979, the Lynx Mk.2(FN) entered service with the French Naval Aviation of the French Navy, a total of 26 aircraft would be procured. Upon entering service, the French Lynx was more capable of performing independent anti-submarine operations than its Royal Navy counterpart, a single aircraft being capable of simultaneously being equipped for detection and weapon delivery roles. In February 2011, a French Lynx landed on the flight deck of a FREMM multipurpose frigate for the first time as a part of qualifying trials. In addition to France's own Lynx fleet, French Navy vessels have also hosted British Lynx helicopters, such as during an extended counter-piracy deployment on board the La Fayette-class frigate Surcouf during 2012. Lynx HAS.2 / Mk.2(FN): Initial production version for the Royal Navy (HAS.2) and the French Navy (Mk.2(FN)), powered by Gem 2 engines and with wheeled undercarriage, folding rotors and tail and deck lock. HAS.2 equipped with British Sea Spray radar, with Mk.2(FN) having French radar and dipping sonar. When it is used in the anti-submarine role, it can carry two torpedoes or depth charges. For anti-surface warfare, it is equipped with either four Sea Skua missiles (Royal Navy) or four AS.12 missiles (French Navy). 60 built for Royal Navy, and 26 for France. Lynx Mk.4(FN): Upgraded version for the Aéronavale, with Gem 42-1 engines. Fourteen built. Characteristics: Crew: 2 or 3 Capacity: 8 troops Payload: 1480 kg Length: 15.241 m (50 ft) Rotor diameter: 12.80 m (42 ft) Height: 3.8 m (12.45 ft) Disc area: 128.71 m² (1385 ft²) Empty weight: 3291 kg (7255 lb) Max. takeoff weight: 5330 kg (11750 lb) Powerplant: 2 x Rolls-Royce Gem turboshaft, 835 kW (1120 shp) each Maximum speed: 324 km/h (201 mph) Range: 528 km (328 miles) with standard tanks Armament: 2 x torpedoes or 4 x AS.12 missiles or 2 x depth charges machine gun (door) source: wikipedia |
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       an EuroTorp MU90 torpedo was launched       with EuroTorp MU90 torpedo loaded   |
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French
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