Westland was investigating replacements for its Wessex and Whirlwind helicopters. It studied a larger version of the Lynx for civil use. The civil helicopter was originally named "WG-30 Super Lynx" before being changed to "Westland 30". It shared transmission, rotor blade and other components with the Lynx, but had a new airframe. The Westland 30's rotor system is larger with slower-turning four blade main rotor assembly. The fuselage is a conventionally built structure of aluminium while composites are used for the tail boom. Westland initially meant the WG.30 for air ambulance and tactical transport military uses. As a civilian carrier, fitted with airstair or sliding doors it could carry up to 22 passengers with a baggage compartment at the rear of the fuselage. Fitted for offshore work the Westland 30-100 could operate with a radius of action carrying nine passengers out and 13 home. As a military aircraft it could carry 14 troops with equipment, 17 without, or six stretchers and accompanying medical attendants. The prototype WG30 made its first flight on 10 April 1979, and made an appearance at the Paris Air Show the same year. Production of the first model, the Westland 30-100, began in 1981, receiving British Civil Aviation Authoritytype certification in December 1981, with American Federal Aviation Administration certification following in December 1982. This was followed in 1984 by the 30-160 with uprated engines.
Operational history
The first of three Westland 30-100s was delivered to British Airways Helicopters at Beccles on 6 January 1982, to support gas rigs in the southern sector of the North Sea. The type was later used on the scheduled passenger service between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, and remained in service when the company became British International Helicopters in 1986. In the United States, Airspur Helicopters Inc. acquired four Westland 30s on lease to operate scheduled passenger flights in the Los Angeles area, beginning on 9 May 1983. Omniflight Helicopter Services operated the type on behalf of Pan American World Airways, linking John F. Kennedy International Airport with Pan Am's heliport at East 60th Street in central Manhattan. Services ceased on 1 February 1988, and the helicopters were returned to Westland; most ending up at The Helicopter Museum in Weston-Super-Mare. The chief operator of the type was Pawan Hans of India. The British government agreed with India to supply 21 Westland 30s for oil exploration duties using a British grant of 65 million pounds. India was reluctant to accept the deal until it was made clear that the aid would not otherwise be forthcoming. The aircraft were delivered to Pawan Hans between 1986 and 1988 for offshore operations on behalf of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited. A similar number of Aérospatiale SA 365N Dauphin helicopters was supplied by France. It was soon found that the Westland helicopters were ill-suited to Indian conditions, and after two fatal accidents, the fleet was grounded in 1991. The 19 surviving Westland 30s were sold to a British company, but after six had been shipped to the United Kingdom, the deal fell through, and the aircraft are believed to remain in storage in the United Kingdom and India.
Variants
;Westland 30 Series 100 ;Westland 30 Series 100-60 ;Westland 30 Series 200 ;Westland 30 Series 300 ;Westland 30 Series 400 ;TT30 ;TT300
