United Kingdom Overview The Wessex was first used by the Royal Navy, which introduced the Wessex HAS.1 to operational service in 1961. Having been satisfied by the favourable initial performance of the Wessex but seeking to improve its avionics and equipment, the Navy soon pressed for the development of the improved HAS.3, which came into service in 1967. Operationally, younger models would be assigned to perform the key anti-submarine warfare and commando transport missions, while older and less capable models would be typically be assigned to land bases for search and rescue (SAR). SAR-tasked Wessex helicopters were also stationed abroad, such as at
Cyprus. , 1999 The Wessex often found itself being used on the battlefield as a utility transport; as well as delivering supplies and equipment, the Wessex could also transport small groups of troops. Operationally, the Wessex could lift less than the RAF's
Bristol Belvedere helicopters, but was more robust and required less maintenance; thus, when the Belvedere was retired at the end of the 1960s, Wessex squadrons were often tasked with their former duties in support of the British Army on an ad hoc basis. In large-scale helicopter assault operations, the type could be escorted by the RAF's
Hawker Siddeley Harriers. The HC.4 variant of the
Westland Sea King began to replace the Wessex in this capacity from the late 1970s onwards, although troop-carrying missions would continue into the late 1990s. The Wessex's service career featured long-term deployments to both Hong Kong and Northern Ireland to support internal security operations, performing transport and surveillance missions. In Northern Ireland, the use of helicopters for supply missions proved a viable alternative to vulnerable road convoys; operations in this theatre led to the employment of various defensive equipment and countermeasures against the threat posed by small arms and
shoulder-launched anti-air missiles.
Queen's Flight Wessex helicopters were also used by the
Queen's Flight of the RAF to transport
VIPs including members of the
British royal family; Both
Prince Philip and
then-Prince Charles were trained Wessex pilots; occasionally they would perform as flying crew members in addition to being passengers on board the VIP services. The Wessex was replaced in this role by a privately leased
Sikorsky S-76 in 1998.
Wartime operations In 1962,
an international crisis arose as
Indonesia threatened confrontation over the issue of
Brunei, which was not in the newly formed
Federation of Malaya. By February 1964, a large number of RAF and RN helicopters, including Westland Wessex, were operating from bases in
Sarawak and
Sabah to assist Army and Marine detachments fighting guerilla forces infiltrated by Indonesia over its 1,000-mile frontier with
Malaysia. Much of the anti-submarine equipment having been removed to lighten the aircraft, during the campaign in
Borneo the Wessex was typically operated as a transport helicopter, capable of ferrying up to 16 troops or a 4,000-pound payload of supplies directly to the front lines. Alongside the
Westland Scout, the Wessex emerged as one of the main workhorses of the campaign; roughly half were operated directly from land bases and would regularly rotate with those stationed on RN vessels stationed off shore. From these operations the
Commando Helicopter Force gets its nickname of the
Junglies. Around 55 Westland Wessex HU.5s participated in the
Falklands War, fighting in the South Atlantic in 1982. On 21 May 1982, 845 Squadron's Wessex HU.5s supported British landings on East Falkland. The type was heavily used throughout the conflict for the transportation and insertion of British special forces, including members of the
Special Air Service and the
Special Boat Service (SBS). A total of nine Wessex (eight HU.5s and one HAS.3) were lost during the Falklands campaign. Two HU.5s of 845 Squadron crashed on the
Fortuna Glacier in
South Georgia during an attempt to extract members of the Special Air Service during a snow storm; six of 848 Squadron's Wessex HU.5s were lost when the container ship
Atlantic Conveyor was sunk; and the HAS.3 aboard
HMS Glamorgan was destroyed when the ship was struck by an
Exocet missile.
Retirement The last in UK service were retired in 2003. These were HC2 models used by the RAF.
Civilian operations at North Denes airfield, Norfolk, in 1970 during support flights to the growing North Sea Oil industry A civilian version of the helicopter, the Wessex 60, was also manufactured and supplied to a number of civilian operators, including
Bristow Helicopters, one of the biggest rotary-wing operators in the world. Bristow flew them from various UK airfields and helicopter pads to support the growing
North Sea oil industry until they were withdrawn in 1982.
Australia In April 1961, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) announced that they had selected the Westland Wessex to become the standard service helicopter from their ships and its intention to purchase roughly 30 for anti-submarine patrols, casualty evacuations, and fleet communications duties. The RAN formally accepted the first two of 27 Wessex helicopters in September 1963; 817 Squadron was the first to operate the type; the Wessex and its dunking sonar array quickly proved to be the most effective anti-submarine platform as yet seen in the RAN. The Wessex was a major operational shift for the
Fleet Air Arm, enabling the RAN to proceed with the conversion of the aircraft carrier
HMAS Melbourne as an anti-submarine platform. In typical carrier operations, a Wessex would be deployed during the launch and recovery of fixed-wing aircraft as a guard helicopter; during anti-submarine patrols, routine procedure was to have one Wessex airborne to actively screen the ship while a second would be fully armed and prepared for operations, such an arrangement was used during troop transport deployments by
HMAS Sydney to Vietnam during the 1960s. By 1980, the Wessex was no longer being used for anti-submarine operations, having been replaced by the more advanced and capable
Westland Sea King in this capacity. Instead, remaining Wessex helicopters were retained to perform its secondary roles as a plane guard, search and rescue platform, and as a utility transport helicopter. The type was withdrawn from service in 1989.
Warbird flight In 2019, one retired Wessex HU.5 was restored to flying condition, after having last flown 30 years ago. After a 10,000 hour expert restoration, HU5 XT761/ G‑WSEX took flight again in Somerset, England. ==Variants==