Westland Lynx da Wildcat
A halin yanzu tawagar Royal Navy's Black Cats ta ƙunshi jirage masu saukar ungulu na HMA.2 Wildcat guda biyu kuma suna gabatar da mallakar wannan nau'in helikwafta a cikin zanga-zangar.
An tsara ta Westland kuma Leonardo ya kera, dangin Lynx na jirage masu saukar ungulu suna amfani da su a halin yanzu da sojojin kasashe 9: Burtaniya, Algeria, Brazil, Philippines, Jamus, Malaysia, Oman, Jamhuriyar Koriya da Thailand. Sama da rabin karni, an gina fiye da kwafi 500, da aka yi amfani da su a matsayin jirage masu saukar ungulu don yaki da jiragen ruwa na karkashin ruwa, jiragen ruwa da tankunan yaki, don gudanar da bincike, sufuri da ayyukan ceto. Sabon rotorcraft daga wannan iyali, AW159 Wildcat, ana amfani da shi ta Filin jirgin ruwa na Jirgin ruwa na Philippine da Jamhuriyar Koriya, da kuma jiragen saman Sojan Burtaniya da na Royal Navy.
A cikin tsakiyar 60s, Westland ya shirya don gina magada zuwa manyan jiragen sama masu saukar ungulu na Belvedere (aikin twin-rotor WG.1, nauyin nauyin 16 tons) da helikofta na Wessex (WG.4, nauyin 7700 kg) ga sojojin Birtaniya. . Bi da bi, WG.3 ya kamata ya zama wani sufuri helikofta ga sojojin na 3,5 t class, da kuma WG.12 - wani haske kallo helikwafta (1,2 t). An gina shi daga WG.3, magajin Whirlwind da Wasp, wanda daga baya ya zama Lynx, an nada shi WG.13. Bukatun soji na shekarar 1964 sun bukaci wani jirgin sama mai inganci da inganci wanda zai iya daukar sojoji 7 ko tan 1,5 na kaya, dauke da makamai da za su taimaka wa sojojin da ke kasa. Matsakaicin gudun ya zama 275 km / h, kuma iyakar - 280 km.
Da farko dai, injinan turboshaft mai karfin 6 hp Pratt & Whitney PT750A ne ke sarrafa rotorcraft. kowannensu, amma masana'anta bai bada garantin cewa za a sami bambance-bambancen da ya fi karfi cikin lokaci ba. A ƙarshe, an yanke shawarar yin amfani da 360 hp Bristol Siddeley BS.900, daga baya Rolls-Royce Gem, wanda aka fara a de Havilland (saboda haka sunan G na gargajiya).
Haɗin gwiwar da aka samu a lokacin kyakkyawar haɗin gwiwar Anglo-Faransa a cikin masana'antar sufurin jiragen sama da kuma buƙatun makamancin haka da sojojin ƙasashen biyu suka gindaya ya haifar da haɗin gwiwar haɓaka nau'ikan rotor iri uku, wanda ya bambanta da girmansa da ayyuka: matsakaicin sufuri (SA330 Puma), ƙwararrun jiragen sama da kuma rigakafin. tanki (Lynx na gaba) da injin maƙasudi da yawa (SA340 Gazelle). Sojojin kasashen biyu ne za su siyi dukkan samfurin. Sud Aviation (daga baya Aerospatale) a hukumance ya shiga shirin Lynx a cikin 1967 kuma za a dauki nauyin kashi 30 cikin dari. samar da jiragen sama irin wannan. A cikin shekaru masu zuwa, haɗin gwiwar ya haifar da sayan SA330 Puma da SA342 Gazelle ta sojojin Birtaniya (Faransa sune shugabannin aikin da gine-gine), kuma jiragen ruwa na Faransa sun karbi Lynxes na ruwa na Westland. Da farko dai Faransawa sun yi niyya don siyan Lynxes masu ɗauke da makamai a matsayin hari da kuma jiragen leken asiri don jiragen sama na sojojin ƙasa, amma a ƙarshen 1969 sojojin Faransa sun yanke shawarar janyewa daga wannan aikin.
Shafukan Jama'a Hoto Westland Lynx Shekaru 50 da suka gabata, Janairu 21, 1971
Abin sha'awa, godiya ga haɗin gwiwa tare da Faransanci, WG.13 ya zama jirgin saman Birtaniya na farko da aka tsara a cikin tsarin awo. Samfurin jirgin sama mai saukar ungulu, wanda asalinsa aka kera Westland-Sud WG.13, an fara nuna shi a Nunin Jirgin Sama na Paris a 1970.
Ya kamata a lura da sa hannu a cikin ci gaban Lynx ta daya daga cikin injiniyoyin Poland Tadeusz Leopold Ciastula (1909-1979). Wanda ya kammala karatun digiri na Jami'ar Fasaha ta Warsaw, wanda ya yi aiki kafin yakin, incl. a matsayin matukin jirgi na gwaji a ITL, a cikin 1939 an kwashe shi zuwa Romania, sannan zuwa Faransa, sannan a 1940 zuwa Burtaniya. Daga 1941 ya yi aiki a cikin aerodynamics sashen na Royal Aircraft Establishment da kuma yawo da mayakan 302 Squadron. helikwafta Skeeter, wanda Saunders-Roe ya kera daga baya. Bayan da kamfanin ya mallaki Westland, ya kasance daya daga cikin masu kirkiro helikwafta na P.1947, wanda aka yi a jere a matsayin Wasp da Scout. Ayyukan injiniya Ciastła kuma sun haɗa da sa ido kan gyaran wutar lantarki na Wessex da Sea King helicopters, da kuma ci gaban aikin WG.531. A cikin shekarun baya, ya kuma yi aiki a kan gina hovercraft.
Jirgin samfurin Westland Lynx ya faru ne shekaru 50 da suka gabata a ranar 21 ga Maris, 1971 a Yeovil. Ron Gellatly da Roy Moxum ne suka tuka jirgin mai launin rawaya, waɗanda suka yi jirage biyu na mintuna 10 da 20 a ranar. Injiniya Dave Gibbins ne ya jagoranci ma'aikatan. An jinkirta jirage da gwaji na watanni da yawa daga ainihin jadawalin su saboda matsalolin da Rolls-Royce ya yi na daidaita wutar lantarki. Na farko BS.360 injuna ba su da ikon da aka bayyana, wanda mummunan tasiri ga halaye da kaddarorin samfuran. Saboda buƙatar daidaita helikofta don sufuri a cikin jirgin C-130 Hercules kuma don kasancewa a shirye don aiki a cikin sa'o'i 2 bayan saukarwa, masu zanen kaya sun yi amfani da sashin "m" mai mahimmanci na ɓangaren ɓangaren da kuma babban na'ura mai juyi tare da. abubuwan da aka ƙirƙira daga toshe ɗaya na titanium. Injiniyoyin Faransa daga Aerospatiale ne suka ɓullo da cikakkun mafita ga ƙarshen.
An gina samfura biyar don gwajin masana'anta, kowannensu ya yi fenti daban-daban don bambanta. Nau'in farko da aka yiwa alama XW5 shine rawaya, XW835 launin toka, XW836 ja, XW837 shudi da orange XW838 na ƙarshe. Tunda kwafin launin toka ya wuce gwajin sautin ƙasa, jan Lynx ya tashi na biyu (Satumba 839, 28), kuma jirage masu saukar ungulu shuɗi da launin toka sun tashi a gaba a cikin Maris 1971. Bugu da ƙari, samfura, 1972 pre-samar airframes da aka yi amfani da gwada da kyau-tune zane, kaga don saduwa da bukatun na gaba masu karɓa - Birtaniya Army (tare da skid saukowa kaya), Navy da Faransa Aeronavale Naval Aviation ( duka tare da kayan saukarwa mai taya). Da farko dai ya kamata a ce su bakwai ne, amma a lokacin gwajin daya daga cikin motocin ya yi hatsari (nannadar nadewar wutsiya ta kasa) kuma an gina wata guda.
