In this April 2010 photograph, T1 No.1 looks very different without the now familiar tailplane.

AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat/Future Lynx. Разработанный в рамках семейства Super Lynx Series 300, вариант AW159 Lynx Wildcat, ранее известный как Future Lynx, создавался под совместные требования британских Армии и ВМС на новые многоцелевой армейский (Battlefield Light Utility Helicopter) и корабельный (Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft) вертолеты. AW159 - тяжелее, чем предыдущие варианты, его максимальная взлетная масса 6250 кг. Другие важные характеристики - "граненая" хвостовая балка и вертикальные шайбы на стабилизаторе. Планировалось, что 95% вертолета будет новой, а остальные 5% будут заимствоваться с вертолетов AH.Mk 7.

12 ноября 2009г.: прототип вертолета AgustaWestland AW 159, ZZ400, совершил первый полет с аэродрома предприятия "Westland" в Йовиле, Юго-Западная Англия. Lynx Wildcat - многоцелевой вертолет нового поколения, его стартовым заказчиком стали британские ВМС.
Машина, ранее известная как Future Lynx, получила в Британии обозначение Wildcat. Обратите внимание на снижающие ИК-заметность дефлекторы на выхлопных трубах и измененную "фасетчатую" хвостовую балку.

T1 No.1 ZZ400 is primarily used to undertake trials confirming the aircraft's initial flight envelope. Here it is equipped with string markers to aid visualisation of airflow around the airframe. It will soon leave for the US to undertake hot-and-high testing in Colorado.

Upturned exhausts on the CTS800-4N engines deliver hot efflux into the rotor disc, where it is dissipated for a decrease in the helicopter's IR signature.

T1 No.2, ZZ401, flew for the first time on October 14, 2010. It is the primary electrical and avionics test bed for systems including DAS and EODS. Wiring fitted to the side of the aircraft is for test instrumentation.

An 847 NAS Wildcat taxis back to the ramp at Bardufoss having completed a night time sortie during Clockwork 2019.

Wildcat AH1 ZZ395 with the Callen-Lenz Associates UAV

847 NAS has the pre-eminent specialist aircrew to conduct Joint Fires from the air with highly specialised Forward Air Controllers (Airborne) or FAC(A)s. Some of those precision fires are provided by fixed-wing aircraft, which include fifth-gen fighters such as the F-35 Lightning II

The Wildcat AH1 is designed to fulfil a range of roles including intelligence, surveillance and target acquisition, limited troop and material movement, escort, force protection, offensive action and direction of fire and airborne forward air control.

Army Air Corps Wildcat AH1 ZZ396 fitted with a side-mounted machine gun.

847 NAS Wildcat BRH operating at low level during a recent Joint Warrior exercise in Scotland

An 847 Naval Air Squadron Wildcat AH1 on a familiarisation flight at Bardufoss, Norway.

The first production vehicle, ZZ398, undertakes its first flight test in late April 2011. It bears 'Army' titles and the colour scheme that will be similar for both the AH and HMA variants.

847 NAS Wildcat transiting to the Setermoen range less than ten minutes' flight time from Bardufoss Air Station. As weather conditions deteriorated and visibility closed in on the range, this aircraft landed in the snow to comply with Clockwork regulations until visibility improved to exceed 1,200m.

The Arctic is one of the best environments on Earth to train, but is also one of the toughest. Aircrew must remain vigilant at all times. If visibility closes to less than 1,200 metres, aircrew return to base, and when less than 800 metres they must land. For this reason, aircrew carry an emergency Bergen rucksack containing the necessary survival equipment should an emergency landing be required.

847 NAS deployed four Wildcats to Bardufoss for Exercise Clockwork 2019 during which eleven pilots and five aircrewmen completed ten EQ sorties, the content of which ranged from day navigation and snow landings to tactical night formation sorties operating in two-ships.
847 NAS Wildcat pictured from the air transiting to the Setermoen range, Norway, to work with troops from the US and Netherlands

Unique formation of five 845 NAS Commando Merlin HC4 and three 847 NAS Wildcat BRH, pictured during a recent exercise

Confined landing training is a vital skill that is practised regularly

Wildcat AH1 ZZ388 lifts an underslung load with support from the Mobile Air Operations Team at Bardufoss.

The Arctic is a tough environment to work in. Degraded vision operations during exercise Clockwork require high levels of team work as demonstrated here.

Moving a generator on the flight line makes for tough work at -15°C.

Wildcats completed over 260 flight hours during this year's Clockwork exercise which is an impressive number given the sub-zero ambient temperatures, heavy snow fall and recirculation of snow encountered.

This towing tug looks powerful but does not look geared for such snowy conditions.

Despite heavy snow, 847 NAS aircrew including the squadron CO, prepare their Wildcat AH1 ahead of a next live firing mission at Setermoen range. RUBB hangars which house the deployed helicopters are seen in the background.

Maintenance preparation includes raising the nose wheel to enable Wildcats to operate in deep snow. The struts include a fixed pressure and nitrogen charge to ensure the aircraft sits at a fixed height.

A Wildcat AH1 being loaded into an RAF C-17A Globemaster III for transportation to the UK.

A British Army Air Corps Wildcat AH1 helicopter with a mock-up of a Seaspray 7500E V2 AESA radar after completing trials on Salisbury Plain to prove its GMTI and SAR modes in locating ground targets. The Wildcat is already fitted with earlier variants of the Seaspray radar and could benefit from upgraded capabilities

AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat ZZ402 (TI3, c/n 464) completed its maiden flight at Yeovil in Somerset on November 19, 2010. A range of general handling checks were undertaken during the flight, without any unforeseen occurrences. The helicopter is the last Wildcat to fly that will participate in the 600-hour test programme. TI3's main tasks include undertaking load survey tests and naval development, and incorporate ship helicopter operating limit trials. On November 19 all three of the trials fleet were airborne at the same time.

Максимальная взлетная масса Lynx AW159 Wildcat (на снимке третий опытный вертолет) увеличена до 6250 кг. Предполагается, что серийные Wildcat будут нести двухцветный серый пятнистый камуфляж.

Lynx Wildcat ZZ402 is seen on August 2, 2011 carrying two simulated FASGW 'heavy' weapons on both the port and starboard outboard stations, while the inboard port side has a simulated 'light' weapon attached. The in-board starboard position has a box-like 'aero-dummy' box attached as a counter balance.

Photographed in the second half of August 2019, Wildcat HMA2 ZZ513 conducted flight testing with two inert Sea Venom missiles on each wing, followed by a mixed configuration of Sea Venom and Martlet missiles

Новейший морской вертолет Аугуста Вестланд AW-159 "Линкс Вайлдкэт"

AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat HMA2 ZZ413 (c/n 483) alongside a Merlin HM2 at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, for the recent radar trials.

The aim is to establish 16 Wildcat HMA2 flights by May 2017; 815 Naval Air Squadron with 12 and 825 NAS with four.

The first deployed flight of the Wildcat HMA2 on a nine-month Atlantic mission provided encouraging signs about the maturity of the aircraft and its stores support.

Prototype Wildcat T1 No.3 features an under nose radome. It will initially undertake communication systems testing and navigational work, before moving on to gather data for structural integrity tests.

Full operational capability is scheduled for 2018, but initial operating capability was declared in January 2015.

The current Lynx Wildcat Maritime Force will be become the Wildcat Maritime Force this year; the Lynx HMA8’s out of service date is scheduled for March 31,2017.

Wildcat HMA2 is one of 28 examples based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, Somerset. Aircrew rate the type and are especially appreciative of the much reduced level of vibration experienced during operation by comparison to the former Lynx. Aircrew reckon the two stand out systems are the Selex Galileo Seaspray 7400E radar and its L3 Wescam MX-15Di imaging system.

A Wildcat HMA2 photographed flying above Chesil Beach in Dorset.

The AW159 is the new twin-engine multi-role, multi-mission, maritime aircraft, with advanced day/night all weather operational capability. In production for the UK Royal Navy, on time and on budget.

The UK military has committed to reducing its carbon footprint through the use of biofuels across a number of its platforms, including the Wildcat helicopter

The 815 NAS Wildcat HMA2 fires the Martlet in the Bay of Bengal

The Royal Navy revealed the missile was launched "in 0.3 seconds" before "accelerating to one and a half times the speed of sound"

The Republic of Korea Navy plans to deploy its AW 159s from mid-2017 after completing the integration process, which includes pilot training, live weapons firing and naval ship flight trials.

Republic of Korea Navy QHIs received instructional pilot training at Cornwall Airport, Newquay. This involved approximately 24 hours of left and right seat con­version training, five hours of maintenance test pilot conversion training and ten hours of instructor conversion training.

Two Republic of Korea Navy AgustaWestland Wildcats are currently being test flown at Yeovil, Somerset. Seen here is the second example, 15-0602/ZZ542 during a sortie on February 24, 2015. These are the first of eight on order under a contract signed in 2013.

The Thales Compact Flash Sonics clipping sonar features an electric reeling machine and an integrated sonobuoy processing system with a VHF receiver able to collect data from both active and passive sonobuoys.

Two of the Republic of Korea Navy’s first AW159s during trials and development test flying from Leonardo Helicopters’ manufacturing facility in Yeovil, Somerset.

Two of the AW159s at Jinhae Air Base, South Korea during their July 27, 2016, official acceptance ceremony.

The first four AW159s for the Republic of Korea Navy. These aircraft are part of the order for eight aircraft placed in 2013.

The first of two anti-submarine AW159 Wildcat Mk220 helicopters destined for the Philippine Navy captured completing its initial test flight from Leonardo Helicopters' facility in Yeovil, Somerset, on November 1, 2018. A second flight took place on November 5, 2018. A spokesperson for the Philippines' Department of National Defense announced in January 2018 that its two AW159s will be based on two frigates, which are on order from Hyundai Heavy Industries, without further elaborating on weapons and surveillance systems for security reasons. It is expected that the helicopters will be delivered in early 2019.

Philippine Navy AW159 Wildcats departing the Leonardo Helicopters manufacturing facility at Yeovil on April 30, 2019, for the short flight to London Stansted.

The sonar equipment for the Korean AW159. An integrated sonobuoy processing system collects data from both active and passive sonobuoys.

Spike NLOS is a multipurpose, electro-optical missile containing a video camera in the front that provides a real-time wireless data link for ranges up to 15 miles (25km).

One of the Korean AW159s on the production line at Yeovil. The Republic of Korea Navy’s order is significant, as it is the first export order for the AW159.

Wildcat is effectively helping reshape maintenance schedules. Serious consideration is being given to whether the Wildcat fleet requires a traditional depth maintenance profile.

A nose-mounted turret houses the L-3 Wescam MX-15Di, which produces high-resolution images for tactical surveillance, long-range target identification, laser target designation and range-finding capability.

Wildcat maintenance packages are blocked together at present into 25, 50,100, 200 and 300 hourly checks, unlike the Lynx, which has flexed maintenance.

Taking some punishment, Sailors and Royal Marines work on a rotor blade with their bare hands.

"Линкс Уайлдкэт"

28 января 2013г. в Великобритании на аэродроме компании Augusta Westland в Йовилле (графство Сомерсет) поднялся в воздух первый серийный вертолет Wildcat HMA Mk 2. построенный для Королевских ВМС Великобритании. Он представляет собой дальнейшее развитие хорошо известного вертолета Lynx. Новая машина должна поступить на вооружение в 2015 г. Всего МО Великобритании заказало 62 "Уаилдкета", из них 28 для ВМС. Вертолет оснащен двумя двигателями Rolls-Royce CTS800-4N (по сравнению с «Линксом» мощность возросла на 38%). В состав оборудования входят обзорная РЛС, оптико-электронная система с ИК и ТВ-камерами, а также лазерная система предупреждения об опасности.

Wildcat's cockpit features four large multi-function colour displays.

Crew say flying the Wildcat is a huge step-change from the Lynx. Interfacing between the camera, radar and cockpit displays is completed with a single click.

The Royal Navy variant of Future Lynx, 70 of which have now been ordered for the UK armed forces.

AgustaWestland has secured a contract to supply 40, plus five options, of the Future Lynx to replace the AH.7 and AH.9 variants currently in service. Although this is less than half the current inventory of this type of helicopter, its higher utilisation rate is expected to compensate for fewer airframes.