Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Light utility helicopter

Power Plant:

One 511 kw (685 shp) Bristol Siddeley Nimbus 102 turboshaft

Specifications:

Armament:

One Mk 46 anti-submarine torpedo

History:

Production of the Scout/Wasp series of light helicopters was commenced in 1957 as a private venture by the Saunders-Roe Company.  The first of two prototypes G-APNU (c/n S2/5267), known as the Saro P.531, was flown at Eastleigh in Hampshire on 20 July 1958, and the second G-APNV (c/n S2/5268) was flown on 30 September 1958 with a 785 kw (1,050 shp) Blackburn / Turbomeca Turbo 603 engine de-rated to 242 kw (325 shp), the engine being licence-built by Blackburn.  Two more prototypes, known as the P.531.2 were built, powered by the Rolls Royce Nimbus engine, this being a development of the Blackburn A-129 engine de-rated to 474 kw (635 shp).

Westland Aircraft took over the Saunders-Roe Company in 1959, and continued development to the stage where orders were forthcoming from the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy (as the Scout), the British Army (as the Scout AH-1), Bahrain State Police, Uganda Police Air Wing, and the Royal Jordanian Army.

The first military aircraft (XP165) flew on 4 August 1960 and initial testing took place at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, and Farnborough in Hampshire.  The second prototype was fitted with a Bristol Nimbus 101 turboshaft and this became the standard engine fitted to the series.  The type was ordered for the Royal Navy for the anti-submarine warfare role and trials of the ASW.1 took place at Yeovilton in Somerset, these being known as the Wasp.

The series was produced in two basic models, the Scout and the Wasp, the former differing from the Wasp in a number of respects, including a skid undercarriage in place of four wheels, and a fixed tail with a low mounted tailplane which had endplates.  A total of 96 was delivered to the Royal Navy. 141 production Scouts were manufactured by the Fairey Division of Westland at the Hayes, Middlesex facility between 1961 and 1972.  The Wasp could be armed with homing torpedoes or depth charges and one damaged the Argentinean submarine Sante Fe in the Falklands campaign.

In 1962 the RAN ordered two Scouts for the utility and survey roles on board the hydrographic and survey ship HMAS Moresby, which was commissioned on 6 March 1964.  Shipped to Australia on board the SS Auckland Star they arrived in Australia on 20 March 1963 and were assembled and painted at Nowra, NSW.  They entered service with HT723 Squadron in April 1963, one being permanently embarked on board HMAS Moresby.  Initially they received serials WA101 (code 841) and WA102 (code 891), but these were later changed to the Navy series of N8-101 and N8-102.

Scout N8-102 (c/n F.9491 – code 842, later 892) was lost in an accident when it ditched into Wewak Harbour in New Guinea on 8 April 1967 whilst operating from HMAS Moresby.

N8–101 survived until it was retired from No 723 Squadron on 10 August 1977, being replaced by the Bell 206B01 Kiowa in 1974, the latter being aircraft transferred from the Australian Army.  The machine was then placed in the Naval museum at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, and was later made airworthy as VH-NVY (c/n F.9490 – code 841, later 891) in the mid-1980s, being flown by the RAN Historic Flight.  It was extensively damaged in an accident at Schofields, NSW, in 1984 and was rebuilt to static display standard for the Navy Museum.

Subsequently an ex-British Army machine (XR603 – c/n F.9525) was obtained from the United Kingdom and this was restored at HMAS Albatross, Nowra and painted with the code 892.  In March 2019 an ex-RAN Scout was offered for sale by auction at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, VIC.

Examples of the series were obtained for the Royal New Zealand Navy.  The first of the type operated in New Zealand was from HMS Ajax at the Devonport naval base on 5 October 1966.  In 1966 the RNZAF ordered two examples of the Westland Wasp HAS-1 (NZ3901 and NZ3902 – c/ns F9678, F9679).  First to arrive was NZ3901 on 6 October 1966 transported by a C-130 Hercules of No 40 Squadron RNZAF from the UK.  The second (NZ3902) joined the recently commissioned ship HMNZS Waikato at the Royal Navy base at Portland on 6 June 1967.

In 1970 a third Wasp was ordered (NZ3903 – c/n F9757), was taken on board HMNZS Canterbury when it was commissioned in November 1971 and continued in service until it ditched in Waitemata Harbour after an engine failure on 30 November 1973.  Based at Hobsonville, the Wasps were obtained for use aboard the HMNZS Waikato and Canterbury, and whilst the ships were in port the Wasps were flown ashore where they were maintained by No 3 Squadron.

In 1983 the RNZ Navy took delivery of a further Wasp on loan from the Royal Navy to replace NZ3903 and it became NZ3904 (c/n F9587 – ex XT417), this machine being re-furbished by Westland in the United Kingdom.  The type subsequently operated from the frigates HMNZS Canterbury, Waikato, Wellington and Southland.  NZ3904 was mainly used for training from Hobsonville and was returned to the Royal Navy in July 1977.

In October 1981 the New Zealand Government purchased two ex-Royal Navy frigates, the contract involving the purchase of three further Wasps together with a large spares supply.  The vessels became the HMNZS Southland and HMNZS Wellington, and the new Wasps became NZ3906 (c/n 9520), NZ3907 (c/n 9665) and NZ3908 (c/n 9663), being received between December 1982 and September 1983.  Four further machines were also received as attrition airframes, one being completely broken down for spares and the other three (XS566, XT432 and XT782) being placed into storage at Hobsonville for spares.  At that time four Wasps were required for the New Zealand Navy fleet, being also placed on board HMNZS Endeavour and HMNZS Monowai.  The latter machine XT782 was eventually rebuilt using parts from NZ3904 and NZ3901 and returned to the UK.

Able to carry five in the utility role, the Wasp gave good service to the RNZNavy during its life. The type was also used in the 1970s to spray a bramble type creeper on the island of Raoul on behalf of the Department of Lands & Survey and was used in the transport role during Cyclones Ofa and Val in 1990 and 1991. On 18 July 1996 a Wasp from HMNZS Canterbury suffered a heavy landing off the New South Wales coast and was lifted by RAN Sea King to the shore station, HMAS Albatross where it was repaired by personnel of No 2 Squadron, RNZAF.In November 1997 the Wasp from HMNZS Canterbury operated on Bougainville, PNG to assist in operations as part of the truce monitored by Australian and New Zealand service personnel, being painted in an overall orange colour scheme at the time.   On one occasion during anniversary celebrations all seven Wasps were flown in formation.

In the late 1990s the type was retired from service in New Zealand and, along with the stock of spare parts, all surviving examples were sold. Three found their way to the United Kingdom but most remained in New Zealand.  One (NZ3906) was delivered to the RNZAF Museum at Wigram for restoration and display on a tilted frigate hangar deck.

A number of Scouts and Wasps have found their way on to the New Zealand Civil Register, being converted for civil use, including a couple of ex-British Army machines.  These include AH-1 Scouts: XV129; ZK-HUC (c/n 9737 – ex XW282), later destroyed in an accident; ZK-HUD (ex XV128); ZK-HUK (c/n F9655 – ex XT694); ZK-HVD (c/n 2426 – ex XV129); and ZK-HZS (c/n F9492 – ex XP891).  Wasps: NZ3901 (c/n F9678) and NZ3902 (c/n F9679) are in the collection of aircraft at MOTAT at Auckland.  Other survivors include NZ3904 (c/n F9587); NZ3906 (c/n F9570); XS532 (c/n F9559); and XS566 (c/n F9777).

A few of the civil aircraft in New Zealand were used for crop spraying, the first, an ex-British Army machine (ZK-HYS), was said to be the first civilian commercial conversion of the type in the world and was said “to be a great little lifter, very pleasant to fly, and easy to maintain – if a tad thirsty”.

Two prototypes of the Saro P.531.2 were built with a Blackburn A-129 engine on the Isle of Wight.  One became G-APVL, later XP166 with the British Army Air Corps.  This was damaged at Farnborough on 26 February 1975 and became an instructional airframe.  In 2002 it again became G-APVL and was exported to New Zealand in 2010 where it became ZK-HJG, registered as a Saro P.531.2.   At this same time another Scout AH.1 was imported to New Zealand and became ZX-HQU (ex G-CBUH, XP849).  Two examples are on display at a museum at Wanaka, one being the P.531-2 prototype which became ZK-HJG.