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Westland Wyvern

1953 COLD WAR SUEZ CRISIS

The Westland Dragon Story

Like the US, the UK required considerable naval power during World War II (1939-1945), which went beyond typical cruisers, destroyers and battleships to include aircraft carriers. With such a wealth of carrier-based aircraft designs used throughout the conflict, some successful and some not, development of all new types continued into the final days of the war. The Westland Wyvern became one of the ships that arrived too late in WWII to act, but found some utility in the ensuing period. However, it originated from a wartime requirement known as the F. 13/44 specification, with the project name "P. 10".

Westland began work as early as 1944, and was designed to serve as a powerful airborne fighter with built-in strike capability.

In November 1944, the authorities awarded Westland a development contract for a total of six prototypes, two of which were for special land-based versions used by the Royal Air Force (RAF). The remaining batch will be a simplified form of carrier service, which requires surface work and a specific mass of carrier deck landings and launches.

P. 10 evolved into the project name P. 34, which resulted in the designated type's official name "Wyvern TF. Mk 1" (where "Wyvern" is a mythical dragon-like creature).

From the initial pre-production order, seven were renamed "S. Mk 4" as they all had the best characteristics of the previous brand and defaulted to being the final Wyvern.

The engine powered at this time was the 3,670 hp "Python 3", the brand's 87 was adopted by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), with examples arriving in 1953.

A total of 127 Wyverns were completed for Royal Navy service only. The line was manufactured from 1946 to 1956, but the operational service only ran until 1958. During his tenure, a total of 9 Royal Naval Air Squadrons served with Wyvern. In service, the aircraft showed a propensity for accidents, and sudden bursts were a constant threat, especially during the high-velocity catapult launches required for carrier service.

Overall, the plane was a tricky and moody platform, with no fewer than 68 accidents recorded and 13 fatalities.

Wyvern's first and only combat operation took place during the 1956 "Suez Crisis", which spanned from 29 October to 7 November and involved Israel, Britain and France against Egypt. In the ensuing battle, at least two Wyverns were lost to enemy ground fire, and the line made a total of 79 sorties in the conflict.

Shortly after the war, the Flying Dragon was retired from front-line service and finally scrapped in 1958. They were the only British turboprop fighters to have fought.