Bristol Type 173
1952
This tandem rotor transport helicopter first flew on January 3, 1952. Only five prototypes were built but further development produced the Type 192 Belvedere which served in the RAF
It was the first twin rotor helicopter to be powered by two piston engines - essentially with two Type 171 engines and rotor heads.
Built for development with Royal Navy, as 1x Mk.1 (XF785), 1x Mk.2 (XH379) and 3x Mk.3 (XE286, XE287, XE288). The development was cancelled in early Apr 1957 and a production contract never followed, as the Navy preferred the Whirlwind, despite differences in payload.
Specifications
| Engine | 2 x Alvis Leonides Major 755/1 780 shp |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 2 + 13 |
| Length (m) | 16.82 |
| Height (m) | 4.57 |
| Blades | 3 |
| Rotor diam. (m) | 14.81 |
| Weight (kgs) | Empty: 3547 Max: 4990 |
| Range (km) | 300 |
Derivatives & Versions
| → Type 192 Belvedere | 1958 | The Bristol Type 192 was a development of the unsuccessful Type 173, designed in response to an RAF requirement for a general purpose, land based, heavy lift helicopter. |
Airframes (5)
| C/N | Model | Built | Reg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12871 | type 173 | 1951 | G-ALBN  7648M XF785 | |
| 12872 | type 173 | G-AMJI XH379 G-AMJI | ||
| 13204 | type 173 | G-AMYF XE286 | ||
| 13205 | type 173 | G-AMYG XE287 | ||
| 13206 | type 173 | G-AMYH XE288 G-AORB |
Operators
| 2016- | Aerospace Bristol |