Westland 30 Series 300

Registration: G-HAUL
Country of origin: UK
Built: Yeovil, England, 1986
Manufacturer: Westland Helicopters
Constructor's Number: 20
Engine: Two 1712shp General Electric CT7-2B turboshaft engines

Type: Battlefield transport

Note: This was the sole prototype series 300 designed for the battlefield transport role to succeed the Wessex and Puma. It did not enter production.

Details: The Series 300 version of the WG-30 was developed from the original Series 100 for the battlefield transport role. Development was launched in 1982 with £41 million government aid, initially with an interim Series 200 aircraft and then this prototype registered as G-HAUL.

Series 300 introduced more powerful Rolls Royce Turbomeca RTM 322 engines, an uprated gearbox, new bolted titanium five-bladed main and tail rotor hubs with new profile blades, a crashworthy undercarriage and fuel system, an all-plastic tail plane unit and other changes to considerably increase payload, performance and safety.

The engines and main gearbox were mounted on a vibration-absorbing raft with elastomeric suspension units for reduced noise, and its maximum takeoff was increased with composite BERP rotor blades. A glass cockpit was proposed as an option.

This example (G-HAUL) was the only Series 300 built, proposed to meet a Royal Air Force requirement to succeed the Wessex and Puma, and shown at the 1986 Farnborough Air Show. It continued to be used to test the new main gearbox and for demonstration flights until March 1987, when development was abandoned after the RAF chose the larger EH101 instead, and no other interest was forthcoming.

Performance:
Max Speed: 277 km/h (172 mph)
Empty Weight: 3765 kg (8300 lb)
Range: 676 km (420 miles)
Capacity/Load: 22 persons / 8493 kg (7700 lb)
Power: 2x Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM 322 turboshaft engines