The Westland Lysander was a British single-engined multi-purpose aircraft used during World War II.
History
Design work on the Lysander began in 1935, as an army cooperation and observation aircraft to replace the Hawker Hector. It first flew on June 15th, 1936, and entered service with the Royal Air Force in May, 1938.[1]
During the war, the Lysander was used in a variety of roles, including observation, ground attack, snd transport. It was even as a fighter occasionally. Over 1,300 were built by the end of its production run, and they remained in service until 1946. The Lysander was best known for transporting spies and resistance fighters behind enemy lines in France, a role it performed well in due to its STOL capabilities.[1]
Variants
- Lysander Mk I:
- Lysander Mk II:
- Lysander Mk III:
- Lysander Mk IIIA:
- Lysander Mk III SCW:
- Lysander Mk III SD:
- Lysander TT.Mk III:
- Lysander TT.Mk IIIA:
Specification (Mk III)
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: Up to 3 passengers
- Length: 30 feet 6 inches
- Wingspan: 50 feet
- Height: 14 feet 6 inches
- Powerplant: One Bristol Mercury XX or XXX radial engine
- Top speed: 212 mph
- Range: 600 miles
- Service ceiling: 21,500 feet
- Armament: Two foward-facing 7.7 mm machine guns, two rear-facing 7.7 mm machine guns, eight 20 pound bombs