|
|
| History of this Model in this Organisation: | | |
When an initial order for 60 Sea King HAS.1s was placed with Westland Aircraft Ltd by the UK Ministry of Aviation on behalf of the RN for £24 million in late 1966, it was the largest order for helicopters ever placed with a British company.  Quantity approximate at Oct 2003. First Westland built airframe was c/n WA630 (XV642) which flew on 7 May 1969 from Yeovil. At least 8 marks for the Royal Navy since that date, either as new build or rework on existing airframes. The Sea King HAS.1 retained the Sikorsky watertight hull, 5 bladed all metal main rotor and fixed tail wheel. Wessex HAS.3 radar/sonar and UK Gnome H.1400 engines. Initial production was of the HAS.1, 56 of which were delivered to the Royal Navy, (remaining 4 were the development machines). By 1974, the HAS.2 was designed. New build HAS.2 with improved Gnome H.1400-1 engines, increased fuel capacity, a 6 bladed tail rotor and air intake deflectors/filters. Order for 13 in Nov 1974 and 8 more in 1976. Internal improvements include a Marconi Acoustic Processing & Display suite. XZ570 ff 18 Jun 1976, all delivered by Oct 1979. The remaining 48 HAS.1s were upgraded at RNAY Fleetlands, and NASU Culdrose and known as HAS.2A. All front line Sea Kings were at HAS.2/2A standard by Jul 1978. The Sea King HAS.5 was developed from the HAS.2, beginning in Jan 1979 with major avionics update and introduced a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) housed in the starboard undercarriage sponson and winched away from the airframe for operations. f/f 14 Aug 1980, first 2 handed to RN on 2 Oct 1980. From 1980, 30 (new) Sea King HAS.5 were built with a Thorn-EMI (MEL) Sea Searcher radar, Plessey dipping sonar, Racal Orange Crop ESM, Jezebel passive sonobuoys and composite rotors to replace original all-metal ones. 35 HAS.2A conversions were rebuilt as HAS.5 in early 1980s. Following the critical lack of an airborne radar picket during the Falklands campaign of 1982, the folly of relying on RAF Shackleton AEW.2s for out-of-theatre operations, after the 1978 retirement of the carrier-based Gannet AEW.3 by HM Treasury-led cuts was evident. Westland rushed two HAS.2A development airframes through an intensive programme between May and Aug 1982 to fit the Thorn-EMI Searchwater radar (as in the Nimrod) into an air-pressured, external, swivelled Kevlar housing (known as a dustbin) on the starboard side of the airframe, Cossor Jubilee Guardsman electonic warfare system was fitted and the internal observer stations were updated. The first airframe was available at the end of 1982. 10 Sea King HAS.2s were converted into AEW.2As. The Sea King HAS.6 (six new and 69 conversions from 1990, with Westland kits) operated from 1989 and feature improved airframe and tranmission, GEC-Marconi 2069 dipping sonar, further improved signal processing, internal-mount MAD, revised Racal Orange Reaper ESM and Gnome H1400-2 engines. Includes the GEC-Marconi AD3400 VHF/UHF secure speech radio. The HAS.6 was also the last version of Sea King to be used in the anti-submarine role, following its withdrawal from the front line in 2004. By Aug 2004, the Royal Navy had no effective, primary role anti-submarine helicopter, while the Merlin remained non-operational and is still grounded. 9 Sea King AEW.2As have been converted to AEW.7 standard with Gnome H1400-2 engines, renamed Sea King ASaC.7 and introduced in 2001. Some low flying hours Sea King HAS.6s are having their anti-submarine sensors and signal processing stations removed to function in the main role of Commando assault with a secondary Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD). The Sea King HAS.6C was converted at DARA Fleetlands during 2004 and retains its main wheel sponsons but the undercarriage is fixed in the lowered position and an improved defensive package fitted. The first of type were issued in mid 2004. |
| Units with this Model in this Organisation: | | |
|
|
| Roles of this Model in this Organisation: | | |
|
| Construction Numbers of this Model in this Organisation: | | |
| C/N | Built | In this Organisation | In other Org | | wa 631 | 1969 | XV643: f/f 10/06/69, d/d 29/01/73. Built as HAS.1, converted to HAS.2A then to HAS.5 and finally to HAS.6 standard. Served with 700(S), 814, 819 & 820 NAS. To AESS (HMS Sultan) by Aug 2000.
| | | wa 632  | 1969 | XV644: f/f 7 Aug 1969, d/d 19 Aug 1969. HAS.1 700(S) Sq/582-CU 1969, /528-PO by Jul 1971. Ditched in English Channel off Portland and sank when flotation bags failed while with 737 Sq on 19 Nov 1974 and recovered. Wreck at Fleetlands by Jun 1976. Converted to AEW.2A, to 849 Sq/180-CU by Jul 1994, to A2664 at Lee-on-Solent by 1986 still there by 1988. Scrapped Predannack by May 1994.
| | | | wa 633 | 1969 | XV645: ff 9 Jul 1969, dd 11 Jul 1969 to RN. 700(S) Sq/583-CU 1970, w/o 13 Jan 1972 when ditched in sea off Portland as 737 Sq/529-PO - first wholly UK-built Sea King accident.
| | | | wa 634 | 1969 | XV646: HAS.1 f/f 30 Jul 1969, d/d 19 Aug 1969, HAS.1 700(S) Sq/584-CU 1969, w/o 25 Oct 1977 when ditched into the South West Approaches due to loss of yaw control while with 814 Sq.
| | | | wa 635 | 1969 | XV647: ff 06 Sep1969, dd 26 Sep 1969 to RN as HAS.1 700(S) Sq/585-CU 1969, 706Sq/593-CU by Sep 1975. Converted to HAS.2A, 820 Sq/412-BL by Apr 1977, 820Sq/413-BL by Jul 1979, 820Sq/360-N by Jul 1980. Converted to HAS.5, 814 Sq/265 by 1986, 771 Sq/820-CU by 1988 still Mar 1999, to AMG-CU 24 Mar 1999. Converted to HAS.5U, 771Sq/707 by 2003, 771 Sq/828 by Apr 2005 still May 2005
| | | | wa 636 | 1969 | XV648: ff 14 Sep 1969, dd 6 Oct 1969 to RN as HAS.1, 700(S) Sq/586-CU 1969, 706Sq/591-CU by Sep 1974 still Aug 1978. Converted to HAS.2A, 825Sq/97 May - Sep 1982. Converted to HAS.5 706Sq/587 by 1986, 706Sq/582 by 1988, /827-CU, to Boscombe Down, to 819 Sq 23 Dec 1998. Converted to HAS.5U, 819Sq/708-PW by Mar 1999 still Sep 2000, 771Sq/708-PW by Mar 2003, AMG CU by 2004, 771Sq/818 by May 2005
| | | | wa 637 | 1969 | XV649: f/f 21/09/69, d/d 06/10/69. Built as HAS.1, converted to HAS.2A then converted to AEW.2A. Served with 700(S), 706 & 849 NAS.
| | | | wa 638 | 1969 | XV650: f/f 02/10/69, d/d 06/11/69. Built as HAS.1 then converted to HAS.2A before being converted to an AEW.2A model. Served with 706, 819, 824, 826 & 849 NAS.
| | | | wa 652 | 1970 | XV664: Built as Sea King HAS.1 f/f 06/05/1970, d/d 01/06/1970 to Royal Navy. 826Sq/142-E by 1971, converted to HAS.2 and to 824Sq/051-R by Nov 1978, 819Sq/304-PW by Jun 1981, 819Sq/704-PW before 1984. Converted to AEW.2A and to 849Sq/185-CU by Nov 1984, 849Sq/185-N by 1988 still Sep 1992, converted to ASaC.7 and to 849Sq A Flt/187-R by 2003 still Sep 2004, to DARA, to 849 Sq by Jun 2005 (using c/s 187 by Aug 2005), to 849Sq/190 on 13 Dec 2006, still Jul 2007.
| | | | wa 660 | 1970 | XV672: f/f 19/9/70, d/d 5/10/70. Built to HAS 1 standard at Yeovil and served with 706, 819 and 814 Naval Air Squadrons. Converted to HAS 2 standard at Culdrose in 1979 and served with 824 and 826 Naval Air Squadrons. Ditched into the sea in 1982. after considerale repairs, XV672 was converted to AEW 2 standard and spent the 1990\'s with 849 Naval Air Squadron, serving aboard HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal. Converted to ASaC 7 standard in 2001.
| | | | wa 665 | 1970 | XV677: f/f 18/12/70, d/d 22/01/71. Originally built as an HAS.1 it has been converted/modified to HAS.2A then HAS.5 and is now to HAS.6 spec.It has served with 706, 814, 819 & 825 Naval Air Sqns. Sold to a private owner
| No Org. defined XV677: The airframe is currently stored at HMS Sultan awaiting it's relocation to AeroVenture, Doncaster.
No Org. defined XV677: 25/07/06 - Moved to AeroVenture, Doncaster, UK, home of South Yorkshire
Aircraft Museum
| | | wa 838 | 1976 | XZ570: Sea King HAS.5+ ff 18 Jun 1976, dd 19 Jul 1976 First new build HAS.2, conv to HAS.5, to A&AEE Boscombe Down still 1986, Westland by 1988, stored Gosport.
| | | | wa 878 | 1979 | XZ918: ff 3 Apr 1979, dd 6 Jun 1979, HAS.5 820Sq/020-N by Jan 1985, ditched in Mediterranean 8 Nov 1985 following loss of main gearbox oil while with 814 Sq, recovered. 820Sq/020-R by 1988. Sold to RAN.
|  N16-918: dd 25 Jun 1996 to RAN as N16-918. Purchased as replacement for N16-124 and became RAN N16-918. Converted to Mk50A via LOTE on delivery. HS817Sq/922 by Jul 1996. 1st Sea King to land on HMAS Manoora for first-of-type trials. Deployed to Solomon Islands in 2003 aboard HMAS Manoora. In Service HS-817/922.
| | |