Westland 30

The Westland 30 was a medium-sized civil helicopter designed and produced by the British company Westland Helicopters, derived from the military Westland Lynx series with which it kept a high level of commonality. It was developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the company's foray into the civilian market, sharing the Lynx's transmission, composite rotor blades and other dynamic components but adding an original airframe with a sizable passenger compartment. Westland hoped to sell it to air ferry and offshore drilling operators and estimated a world market of around 400. It was powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Gem 60-3 turboshaft engines, and the prototype made its maiden flight on 10 April 1979. No military customers were found, and civil operators included British Airways Helicopters, Airspur Helicopters and Omniflight Helicopter Services. The largest user, the Indian company Pawan Hans, bought 21 for oil exploration, but the type proved difficult to operate in the tropics and two fatal accidents led to its fleet being grounded in 1991.