Westland 30

Westland 30
A Westland 30 during initial testing
Role	Helicopter Type of aircraft
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Westland Helicopters
First flight	10 April 1979
Introduction	1982
Retired	ca.1991
Primary users	Pawan Hans Pan Am British Airways Helicopters
Produced	1981-1987
Number built	41[1]
Developed from	Westland Lynx

The Westland 30 is a medium-sized civil helicopter designed and produced by the British aerospace company Westland Helicopters. It was derived from the Westland Lynx series of military helicopters, with which it retains a high level of commonality.

The Westland 30 was developed during the late 1970s and early 1980s primarily as a foray into the civilian market. The company sought to expand its presence in that sector, leveraging its existing portfolio to do so; the Lynx shared its dynamic system and other components with the Westland 30, but the latter featured an original airframe to accommodate a sizable passenger compartment. Westland believed that the Westland 30 could be an attractive to operators of air ferry and offshore drilling flights; it was also intended for use as in a military capacity akin to the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma. It was initially self-financed by the company, although support from the British government was later forthcoming. It had been estimated that there was a worldwide market for around 400 Westland 30s.

On 10 April 1979, the prototype WG30 made its maiden flight. Civil certification from both the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) soon followed. While no military customers would be secured, civilian operators included British Airways Helicopters, Airspur Helicopters Inc. and Omniflight Helicopter Services. The most prominent operator was the Indian company Pawan Hans; the company acquired 21 Westland 30s for oil exploration purposes; however, the type proved difficult to operate in the tropical climate and two fatal accidents occurred, leading to Pawan Hans' fleet being grounded in 1991. India's use of the Westland 30 became a controversial and politically-changed matter for a time. No major operations of the type has since occurred, and the CAA had withdrawn its license by 2000.^[2]