Westland Lynx versions (Navy)

[Lynx7]

Seeing how the latest buzz is about the newly released Airfix 1/48 Lynx, I thought it would be prudent to have a central database for those interested/confused/bewildered by all the various versions of Lynx. This first post will be dedicated to naval versions with a (smaller) post dedicated to Army versions.

So, here goes then. For simplicity, I have put together a table that describes what version has what bits. In essence, Westlands did a 'mix and match' to make up the various different marks dependant on the customers requirement so despite there being over 35 different variants, there is a sort of common theme. Basically speaking you have 4 or 5 'core' versions with subtle differences (depending on year and modification standard). These can be broken down in to Nose, Engines, Main rotors, Tail boom, Sponsons and Tail rotor. With a selection of each of those parts, you can make pretty much any version you wish. What I'm not going to do right now is go in to the differences in cockpits, roles, interiors and the various different antennas, aerials and other random protuberances that can be found. I'll cover cockpits later on. This is really designed to give you an initial idea of which versions you can make out the box from the Airfix 1/48 naval Lynx and what mods you'd need to carry out if you wish to make other versions.

Quick run through for the table. Table 1 refers to each part type and has a number assigned to it. In the main table, it will tell you if that version has that part. For ease, on the main table, the versions in green can be built OOB from the Naval Airfix kit (not included decals etc, just the fact that the parts will allow it). The pictures show you the breakdown of the differences from table 1.

Table 1

Table 2 (amended v1.1)

Nose

HAS2/3 style nose

HMA8 nose (this forms the basis of most other style of noses with radar/FLIR but the PID is unique to the HMA8)

Mk88A with radar but no FLIR. Some German versions have a FLIR

South Korean Mk99A with FLIR. Note: its a different FLIR thats used by Germany.

Main rotor Blades. Older versions used the 'steel blades'. Same length as the CMRB (Composite Main Rotor Blades or commonly known as BERP 3). Point to note if you decide to convert the kit CMRBs in to steel blades. Obvious diffence is the 'paddle tips' but there are several other differences. For example, the blade root trailing edge is a more acute angle on CMRBS. If any one wishes to convert to old blades, let me know and I'll go through all the differences.

RN HAS2

RN HAS3

Engines. Older Lynx had the RR Gem 2 engines. Intakes and exhausts remain the same for all naval versions (some have intake grills - removable). The main external differences between the older engines and the later Gem 42's is the 'Cowhorns' on top front of the cowlings (

Norwegian Air Force Mk86 with older Gem 2 engines.

German Mk88A. Note the extra side intake on top/front of cowling just behind intake grill. The cover above it goes across the top of the engine bays and is the improved cooling duct for the main rotor gearbox cooler.

Norwegian Mk86 with older Gem 2 engines. Note the simpler square intake ducts.

Rear view of a Mk7 (same as HMA8). Youll notice the 'Bonk' on top of the rotor head. This is the MRHVA (Main rotor head vibration absorber). Some customers have it, others dont. It can be removed so you may see some with it fitted and some not fitted.

Rear view of a German Mk88A. Note the Cowhorns to the front of the cowlings and the extra smaller lumps midway and to the right of each engine cowl.

Point of note. Gem engines aren't 'handed' so the various lumps, intakes/outlets appear to be offset. Engines can be fitted either side.

Sponsons. Older sponsons didnt have any form of DAS (Defensive Aids Suite - RWR receivers) so appear to be smoother and faired to the rear.

Some of the newer RWR sponsons may or may not have the receivers fitted and can be blanked off.

Tail Boom. Two types. Folding variety or non folding variety (same as Army versions)

Mk95 Portugese. Note the grill (Intermediate Gearbox cooking grill)

Norwegian Mk86 non folding tail.

Tail rotor. Two types of tail rotor. The older tail rotor that rotates anti-clockwise (when viewed from the left) and the newer version that rotates clockwise. The older type of tail rotor was pants due to it rotating in the same direction as the downwash from the main rotor therefore reducing the amount of thrust it could provide (especially important at low speed where high power settings are required and more tail rotor authority is required). The newer tail rotor gains due to it getting more velocity from the downwash therefore more 'lift/thrust for the same rotational speed. Lynx with the older tail rotor (such as the HAS3) have a distinctive noise and can be heard from miles away.

HAS3. (the red bit on the centre of the tail rotor hub is a gust lock. This is (usually!!!) removed before flight and the main spider and pitch change is the same for both tail rotors.

Mk88A

Tail stabiliser. Simple rule of thumb here. If the aircraft has older steel blades fitted, it will have the older longer horizontal tail stab. CMRB equipped aircraft will have the slightly short one with the gurney flap fitted on its trailing edge. Due to the tip properties of the CMRBs, the older longer stab had a larger surface area and created pitch issues. To overcome this, it was shortened and given a gurney flap to reduce surface area but keep the same lift properties.

French HAS2(FN). Note length of horizontal stab

German Mk88A. Note that the end of the stab is now flat as opposed to rounded on older version.

Another point of note regarding the tail rotor. The newer clockwise tail rotor has a lump on top and to the right of the fairing. This houses the 'reverse' gearing for the tail rotor gearbox.

Gurney flap on a rare Pakistani HAS3 (EX RN) Lynx

So there we go. Lynx explained in one easy post

To give you a bit of background, I am a serving Army pilot (20 years) with about 4000 hours on Lynx and am currently on the Army team bringing the AW159 Wildcat in to service and a self confessed 'Lynx-a-holic'. I've got about 25 unbuild Lynx dotted around the house as well as a highly modified Belcher Bits 1/48 Lynx (converted to AH9A) and a completed Airfix AH7 with a HMA8 3/4 finshed (another test shot from Airfix for another review)

Completed Airfix 1/48 Lynx AH7 (built OOB for review)

Converted Belcher Bits 1/48 Lynx to AH9A

Airfix 1/48 HMA8 (scratch building lots of bits to add detail)

Tune in next time for a break down on the Army versions (a lot shorter!!!)

Edited April 3, 2012 by Lynx7

[David Womby]

Wow - very comprehensive and clear with good explanations and illustrative photos.

Thank you for doing this.

David

[heloman1]

Hi Tony, Many thanks for your efforts, I'm sure it is going tobe appreciated by all who have been following the Lynx threads. It all starts to get a little clearer, it certainly helps if you work in, on and around the subject in question.

Colin on the Africa Station

[PenquinTony]

That's absolutely brilliant. Thanks.

Tony

[Justinjgy]

Hi Tony

You are the man !

Great information Im sure many people will use this info for a long time.

Justin

[KoenL]

What a fantastic post, thanks for taking the time to share some of your Lynx-knowledge with us!

[Jakub Cikhart]

Outstanding and really helpful breakdown of versions, big thanks !!!

[andy wood]

You are fast becoming a legend on this website. Thank you very much for your time and effort. May I suggest to the moderators that this be moved to the resources section.

[Seahawk]

You are fast becoming a legend on this website. Thank you very much for your time and effort. May I suggest to the moderators that this be moved to the resources section.

It certainly deserves to be pinned. What a superb resource. The sort of thing any magazine editor worth his salt ought to bite your arm off for.

[Lynx7]

Thnaks all. I'm on leave at present so the devil makes work for idle hands! It actually demonstrates how sad I am as most of the info above is from memory....... :nerd: :nerd:

[Troffa]

great posts! cheers!

[dambuster]

Great post - thanks

Quick questions. In your table you have the HAS3 with steel blades, however you also have a photo of a RN HAS3 with CMRB. Around what date were they retrofitted? I am looking to maybe model XZ733 as on board Exeter in early 1983 and I guess that at that time it had steel blades. Also if CMRB were retrofitted to RN HAS3s did the tailplane also change to the shorter version with the gurney flap?

Cheers

Peter

[Wafu]

Top post, lots of info to take in.

Cheers for your efforts.

The Woo

[grahamwalker]

What is "AW159 Wildcat"?

[Lynx7]

Great post - thanks

Quick questions. In your table you have the HAS3 with steel blades, however you also have a photo of a RN HAS3 with CMRB. Around what date were they retrofitted? I am looking to maybe model XZ733 as on board Exeter in early 1983 and I guess that at that time it had steel blades. Also if CMRB were retrofitted to RN HAS3s did the tailplane also change to the shorter version with the gurney flap?

Cheers

Peter

Ah my mistake. HAS3 initially had steel blades but then had CMRBs fitted. I'll amend table accordingly. Tail stab changed as main blades changed. Not sure of the dates, you'll have to ask a WAFU.

What is "AW159 Wildcat"?

A £26 million retro-grade Lynx! In all honesty, its rather good. Fully integrated glass cockpit, new (LHTEC 800) engines and completely rebuilt. It may look like a Lynx but is a very different beast (some good, some bad).

[DaveJL]

Great info again, spot on Tony!

Dave

[dambuster]

Ah my mistake. HAS3 initially had steel blades but then had CMRBs fitted. I'll amend table accordingly. Tail stab changed as main blades changed. Not sure of the dates, you'll have to ask a WAFU.

A £26 million retro-grade Lynx! In all honesty, its rather good. Fully integrated glass cockpit, new (LHTEC 800) engines and completely rebuilt. It may look like a Lynx but is a very different beast (some good, some bad).

Thanks for the feedback.

Looks a bit like the unholy lovechild of a Lynx HAS2 and NH90......

[Lynx7]

Thanks for the feedback.

Looks a bit like the unholy lovechild of a Lynx HAS2 and NH90......

It has the capability of one and the cost of the other. You decide which

[Jens]

I hope I can contribute to this thread with some pictures and information on the Danish Lynx.

As for the Mk. 80/90/90A and 90B designations the breakdown is as follows:

Mk. 80 were the eight original Lynx (S-1** range) delivered in 1980-81. Two crashed in the mid-80s and were replaced by three ex-Argentinian Mk. 23s, two on these being put into use as Mk. 90s (S-249 and S-256). The third was used as a source for spare parts.

I am unsure at the moment whether the fleet was upgraded to Mk. 80A/90A standard at some point, or whether the 'A' was introduced to distinguish the original Mk. 90s from the new ones (Mk. 90B). Anyway, the Mk. 90A would be externally similar to the Mk. 90.

This is one of the original Mk. 80s:

Upgraded to Mk. 90B standard (essentially a new airframe with old avionics):

And the Mk. 90B that crashed recently:

More pictures - including detail pictures - can he found here:

Danish Lynx gallery

Jens

[Lynx7]

Jens, you can most certainly contribute! More the merrier. Thats excellent gen mate, thanks.

The Danish Lynx are the most shiny Lynx around and look lovely. Cracking photos on your link. Thats a very 'role'd up Lynx and a very posh 2 man red seat in the rear. Do you know what the tank thing is underneath it?

[Jens]

Thats a very 'role'd up Lynx and a very posh 2 man red seat in the rear. Do you know what the tank thing is underneath it?

It's a fuel tank. Here's a crop of the original picture:

Jens

[Lynx7]

It's a fuel tank. Here's a crop of the original picture:

Jens

Ah ha, I suspected it was. Hmm, gives me an idea to increase the range/endurance of the Wildcat (same sized fuel tanks as current Lynx but with less capacity, a lot heavier, a lot thirstier so you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that....well, you work it out )

[Jens]

Ah ha, I suspected it was. Hmm, gives me an idea to increase the range/endurance of the Wildcat (same sized fuel tanks as current Lynx but with less capacity, a lot heavier, a lot thirstier so you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that....well, you work it out )

IMO there are other things that worry me more about the Wildcat - or at least the fact that it's still a possible replacement for our current Lynx fleet. Apparently they share a lot of parts, some of which are probably the same parts that are keeping our Lynx from flying.

Jens

[Lynx7]

IMO there are other things that worry me more about the Wildcat - or at least the fact that it's still a possible replacement for our current Lynx fleet. Apparently they share a lot of parts, some of which are probably the same parts that are keeping our Lynx from flying.

Jens

Yep, me too mate! Have seen several sharp suited Danes looking interested around the factory recently. In reality, most of the parts are brand new (despite the 'promise' from AW that they'd use 70% legacy parts to keep the cost down). Seems they underestimated what was required when building a helicopter. Not as if they do it as a business is it?.....dung-trumpets.

Do you know what the average airframe total is on your cabs, Jens?

[Jens]

Yep, me too mate! Have seen several sharp suited Danes looking interested around the factory recently. In reality, most of the parts are brand new (despite the 'promise' from AW that they'd use 70% legacy parts to keep the cost down). Seems they underestimated what was required when building a helicopter. Not as if they do it as a business is it?.....dung-trumpets.

Do you know what the average airframe total is on your cabs, Jens?

It's fine to keep the cost down by using legacy parts, but they would have to be able to deliver them on time for it to be acceptable, wouldn't they?

My guess is that the average airframe total is around 2,000 hours (based on approx. 200 hours per year since the upgrade). Before the Mk. 90B upgrade there were more airframes and hours available...

It still is a good-looking helicopter though, and I am really looking forward to seeing the Airfix ones I have just ordered.

Jens