- Westland Helicopters Ltd
- Yeovil, Somerset
Westland Aircraft Ltd was established in 1935 when Petters Ltd split aircraft manufacturing from its engine manufacturing business, retaining only half the shares. In 1938 Petters Ltd sold its shares in Westland Aircraft Ltd, along with the Yeovil site, to Thos Firth and John Brown Ltd and its engine business to Brush Electrical Engineering Co Ltd. Later that year Associated Electrical Industries bought a 20% share in Westland Aircraft Ltd. During the Second World War Westland Aircraft produced military aircraft for the government, including the Lysander, Whirlwind, Welkin, Supermarine Spitfire and Seafire and Fairey Barracuda. The company's last fixed-wing aircraft was the troubled Wyvern and the difficulties encouraged Westland Aircraft to enter the field of helicopter manufacture, initially on the basis of a licence agreement with Sikorsky Aircraft of the USA in 1947. The first helicopter built by Westland, a WS-51 G-AKTW, flew at Yeovil in 1948. From the mid-1950s the company came to increasingly concentrate on helicopters, eventually to the exclusion of other types. In 1959 Westland Aircraft acquired Saunders-Roe Ltd. Soon afterwards the UK's helicopter sector underwent major consolidation. In 1960 Westland Aircraft took over Bristol Aeroplane Co's helicopter division and Fairey Aviation Co Ltd. Westland Helicopters Ltd was formed when the business was reorganised in 1966, Westland Aircraft Ltd then becoming the name of the holding company. As well as building helicopters the company also supplied aerospace components to the industry at large. In 1994 Westland Aircraft was acquired by GKN plc, a British engineering supply company, creating GKN Westland Helicopters Ltd. In 2000 GKN plc and Finmeccanica SpA of Italy combined their helicopter interests, GKN Westland Helicopters Ltd and Agusta, as a joint venture and the new company became known as AgustaWestland. In 2004, with the approval of the British government, GKN sold its share of AgustaWestland to Finmeccanica SpA. In 2017 Finmeccanica SpA was renamed Leonardo SpA and the company's helicopter division operated thereafter under the Leonardo Helicopters brand.
- Lysander (1936); Whirlwind - fighter (1938); Welkin (1942); Wyvern (1946); Dragonfly (1948); Widgeon (1955); Whirlwind - helicopter (1952); Westminster (1958) Wessex (1958); Scout (1959); Wasp (1962); Sea King (1969); Bell 47G3B (1965); Puma (1970); Lynx (1971); Gazelle (1972) Westland 30 (1979); EH101 Merlin (1987); Apache (1998).
- D N James, Westland Aircraft since 1915 (1991); D N James, Westland: a history (2002).
Annual reports and accounts 1935-94; papers, manuals and photographs re each aircraft type built 1935-94; data re experimental aircraft and project studies, incl. W E W Petter's investigation of jet engines and subsequent proposals describing jet-powered military types; reports re international collaborations incl. progress reports for WG13 Lynx, NH90 and A129 LAH n.d.; reports and drawings re Independently Targeted Vehicle n.d.; papers re EH101 and predecessors' development 1970-80; tilt rotor/wing project study reports n.d.; photographs and reports re drone development n.d.; promotional brochures and proposals for supply of Whirlwind, Wessex, Sea King and Lynx types for export c.1960s-90s; staff newsletters n.d.; press cuttings re company and its products n.d.; photographs and papers re factory development and manufacturing activity 1935-94.
Aircraft project studies 1935-40; WG11 project group report 1965; report on multi-engine helicopter airworthiness performance trials 1962; plans and general arrangement diagrams 1949-50; brochures and marketing materials 1935-83; photograph album re historical activities 1947-65.
Drawings re Wapiti n.d. [MAC010262]; papers of H E T Saint, Westland representative at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment 1939-44 [A131-32, A140-41, B214-36]; design submission for twin-jet fighter-bomber 1944 [B3071]; project brochures submitted to Air Ministry and its successors 1950s-70s [AC94/27/452-54]; drawings of projected Westland aircraft designs c.1950 [X002-5586]; pilot's notes for the Jet Deflection Meteor RA490 1950s [AC94/41/2]; technical specification for Sea King HAR 3 helicopter 1975 [022495].
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Research reports on noise experiments 1961-62 [DBL/1/5].
Wessex 50 series promotional brochure 1960s [PA1716/5/14/19].
Annual report and accounts 1984; report on hovercraft development 1973; helicopter, hovercraft and technologies review 1984.
Saunders-Roe Division: technical brochures re factories 1960s; technical report re hydro ski vehicles 1966; marketing booklet, hovercraft 1966; employee regulations booklet 1962.
British Hovercraft Corporation: photographs n.d.; presentation to John Stonehouse MP 1968; promotional booklet 1984.
Catalogue 1960s, information leaflet 1960s, Westland report 82 1982, various records n.d. [Trade Literature Collection].