Westland Whirlwind
in Royal Air Force

The Whirlwind HAR.2 first entered RAF service in Feb 1955 with 22 Squadron, alongside its Sycamores. Used for Tactical Transport and Search and Rescue operations in the UK and overseas. The HAR.4 was an improved HAR.2, for hot and high operations. The Queen's Flight used a converted HAR.2 from Spring 1958, followed by a pair of HCC.8s and then the HCC.12 until Dec 1967. The more powerful Whirlwind HAR.10 was introduced in Nov 1961 with 225 Squadron. The last Whirlwind HAR.10 retired from 202 Squadron in Nov 1981, after the unit had begun to convert to the Sea King HAR.3.