Wasp HAS.Mk.1

Wasp HAS.Mk.1

Wasp HAS.Mk.1

Britain

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	9.0	9.0

Class:

Utility helicopter

Research:150 000

Purchase:490 000

Show in game

This page is about the British helicopter Wasp HAS.Mk.1. For other version, see Scout AH.Mk.1.

Description

The Wasp HAS.Mk.1 is a rank V British helicopter with a battle rating of 9.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the helicopter behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)
	AB	RB
Stock	182	169	5,400
Upgraded	___	___

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the helicopter. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.

Suspended armament

Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.

Defensive armament

Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in a helicopter, the features of using helicopter in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

The Westland Wasp was a British marine helicopter manufactured by Westland aircraft. Initially designed as a torpedo-carrying light patrol and scout helicopter, the Wasp was later modified to be able to carry the SS.11 (AGM-22) wire-guided missile. It gained the distinction of sinking a ship in combat, the ARA Santa Fe, which was sunk using AGM-22s and torpedoes during the Falklands war. The Wasp has been used by the militaries of several nations, but has now been retired and replaced with more modern helicopters.

Design and Development

The Westland Wasp originated from a requirement for a new shipborne helicopter that was both small but could also carry two homing torpedoes - this was known as the MATCH (Manned Torpedo-Carrying Helicopter) program. The Wasp was designed to operate in conjunction with it’s mothership, dropping it’s load of torpedoes on enemy submarines as directed by the mothership’s sonar.

The Westland design firm decided to design a new helicopter based on their successful Westland Scout design. The original skid-type landing gear was replaced with a quad-set of wheels, while the rotors and fuselage were designed to be fully foldable to make the helicopter as compact as possible. As well, the Wasp wasn’t fitted with mounted machine guns, as they were deemed unnecessary for the anti-submarine warfare role. The first pre-production Westland Wasp flew on October 28th 1962.

Operational History

A Brazillian Wasp hovers off USS Mahan, 1977.

Following the end of testing, the Royal Navy ordered a total of 133 Westland Wasps. These aircraft served on a variety of RN ships, where they distinguished themselves as reliable search, rescue and anti submarine warfare helicopters. Later on, the Wasp was given the ability to carry four AGM-22 missiles, which were license-produced variants of the SS.11 anti-tank missile developed by Nord Aviation.

The Westland Wasp had its largest success in 1982, when it engaged the Argentinian submarine ARA Santa Fe. After a Westland Wessex helicopter managed to spot the submarine, three Royal Navy Wasps managed to fire several AS.12 (an anti-ship variant of the SS.11) missiles at the Submarine, scoring hits. The damage suffered was enough to prompt the Argentinian crew to abandon the submarine, which was claimed by British forces and scuttled. The Wasp enjoyed a long service life, being retired in 1988 after the last Type 12 Rothesay-class frigates were decommissioned. It was also exported to several other nations, and was used by the Royal Malaysian navy until 2000. A total of 133 Wasps were built.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the helicopter;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Development] Westland Scout & Wasp: Sting Like A Bee

Works Cited

• Navy Wings. (2019, October 14). Westland Wasp (G-KAXT). Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://navywings.org.uk/portfolio/westland-wasp-2/

Westland Aircraft Limited
Aircraft
Fighters	Whirlwind Mk I · Whirlwind P.9
Turboprop	Wyvern S4
Helicopters*
Attack	AH Mk.1 Apache**
Utility	Wessex HU Mk.5 · Scout AH.Mk.1 · Wasp HAS.Mk.1 · Lynx AH.Mk.1 · G-LYNX
	*After World War II, Westland Aircraft focused on building helicopters and changed its name to Westland Helicopters.
	**Licensed AH-64D
See Also	Boeing Aircraft