Westland Lynx
ICAO LYNXThe helicopter that holds the world speed record, and the Wildcat that succeeded it. Live Lynx and Wildcat positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No Westland Lynx is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Leonardo
- Role
- Naval and battlefield helicopter
- Class
- H2T — Helicopter, 2 turboshaft engines
- Crew
- 2 to 3
- First flight
- 21 March 1971
- In service
- 1978
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the Westland Lynx
The Lynx is fast. In 1986 a modified example set an absolute helicopter speed record of 400.87 km/h that still stands nearly forty years later, achieved with specially designed swept-tip rotor blades. It was also unusually agile — early demonstrations included rolls and loops, which most helicopters cannot do.
Britain, France and Germany flew it in naval and battlefield roles for decades. The Royal Navy used it for anti-submarine and anti-surface work from frigates, and the Army Air Corps for reconnaissance and utility.
Its successor, the AW159 Wildcat, is a substantially new aircraft under a familiar outline, and it shares this designator. The Wildcat is what most British sightings on this page will actually be.
Callsign prefixes
- NAVY
- Royal Navy Wildcat HMA2
- ARMY
- Army Air Corps Wildcat AH1
- CTM
- Cotam — French Navy Lynx
How to recognise it
- —A compact four-blade helicopter with a boxy cabin and skids or fixed wheels depending on variant.
- —A notably short, deep fuselage and a semi-rigid rotor head with no visible flapping hinges.
- —Naval versions carry a nose radome and a folding tail for shipboard stowage.
Common questions
+ Does the Lynx still hold the helicopter speed record?
Yes. The 400.87 km/h set by G-LYNX in August 1986 remains the absolute speed record for a helicopter, and the aircraft is preserved at the Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare.
+ What is the AW159 Wildcat?
The Lynx's replacement, developed from it but with new engines, a new tail, a new cockpit and around 95 per cent new structure. Britain, South Korea and the Philippines operate it, and it reports under the same designator here.
+ Is the Lynx still in service?
The original Lynx has largely retired from British and German service; France withdrew its naval Lynx in 2020. The Wildcat continues, and some export Lynx airframes still fly.