 |
|
|
HOME
|
US Navy -
ships
|
US Navy - air
units
|
USMC - air
units
|
International
Navies
|
Weapon Systems
|
Special Reports |
|
|
Royal Netherlands Navy / Koninklijke
Marine Westland AH-12A Wasp |
|
 |
|
| 12/24 | |
| Units: | |
|
|
|
The Westland Wasp is a small 1960s British turbine-powered,
shipboard anti-submarine helicopter. Produced by Westland
Helicopters, it came from the same Saunders-Roe P.531 programme as
the British Army Westland Scout, and is based on the earlier
piston-engined Saunders-Roe Skeeter. It fulfilled the requirement of
the Royal Navy for a helicopter small enough to land on the deck of
a frigate and carry a useful load of two homing torpedoes. With the Royal Netherlands Navy beginning in the late 1960s, after the fire onboard HNLMS Karel Doorman, NATO anti-submarine commitments were taken over by a squadron of Westland Wasp helicopters, operated from six Van Speijk-class anti-submarine frigates. The shore base was at De Kooy Airfield. The Royal Netherlands Navy 860 Naval Air Squadron received 12 Wasp helicopters between November 1966 and June 1967, operated from Van Speijk-class frigates as AH-12As and flown in the ASW role. The last of the Dutch Wasps were withdrawn from service in 1981 when they were replaced by the Westland Lynx. One additional unit was procured as a replacement for a helicopter lost in 1968 (241). Characteristics: Crew: 1 pilot, 1 Aircrewman Capacity: up to 4 passengers Length: 40 ft 4 in (12.29 m) overall, 30 ft 4 in (9.24 m) fuselage only Height: 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) Empty weight: 3,452 lb (1,566 kg) Max takeoff weight: 5,500 lb (2,495 kg) Main rotor diameter: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m) Main rotor area: 816.9 sq ft (75.89 m2) Powerplant: 1 x Rolls-Royce Nimbus 103 turboshaft engine, 710 shp (530 kW) de-rated from 1,050 shp (783 kW) Maximum speed: 104 kn (120 mph, 193 km/h) Cruise speed: 96 kn (110 mph, 178 km/h) Range: 263 nmi (303 mi, 487 km) Service ceiling: 12,200 ft (3,700 m) Rate of climb: 1,440 ft/min (7.3 m/s) Armament: Mk 44 or Mk 46 torpedo machine gun |
|
| images | |
 AH-12A Wasp - 235  AH-12A Wasp - 235  AH-12A Wasp - 235  AH-12A Wasp - 235  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 236  AH-12A Wasp - 237  AH-12A Wasp - 238 AH-12A Wasp - 240  AH-12A Wasp - 240  AH-12A Wasp - 240  AH-12A Wasp - 240  AH-12A Wasp - 241  AH-12A Wasp - 242  AH-12A Wasp - 242  AH-12A Wasp - 243  AH-12A Wasp - 243  AH-12A Wasp - 243  AH-12A Wasp - 243  AH-12A Wasp - 244  AH-12A Wasp - 245  AH-12A Wasp - 246  AH-12A Wasp - 246  AH-12A Wasp - 247  AH-12A Wasp - 247 UNIDENTIFIED UNITS  torpedo loading exercise         |
|
|
|
seaforces.org
|
Royal
Netherlands Navy start page
| |