The Westland Lynx is a British helicopter designed by Westland and built at Westland's factory in Yeovil, first flying on 21 March 1971 as the Westland WG.13. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants, which went into operational usage in 1977 and were later adopted by the armed forces of over a dozen nations. The helicopter is now produced and marketed by AgustaWestland. AH.7 - Upgraded version for the Army Air Corps. A small number also used by the Fleet Air Arm in support of the Royal Marines. Lynx AH.9 ("Battlefield Lynx") - British Army version of the Super Lynx (AH.7 with wheeled undercarriage). In British service it equips the Army Air Corps (AAC) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). For the AAC the Lynx AH.7 and AH.9 operate as attack/utility helicopters. The Lynx AH.7 is in service with the FAA where it operates as an attack/utility helicopter in support of the Royal Marines

Source: Army Air Corps Website
Source: Wikipedi

The most recent wartime mission for the Lynx was during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Where it operated in tandem with the Gazelle AH1 to seek out and destroy Iraqi armour and emplacements.

A British Lynx from 847 Naval Air Squadron was shot down over Basra, Iraq on May 6, 2006. The helicopter is believed to have been downed by either a missile or more likely, a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). The Lynx crashed into a house and burst into flames, killing all five on board, including the Commanding Officer of 847 NAS. A riot followed with locals celebrating the downing of the helicopter and surrounding the crash site as British troops rushed to the scene. This was the first British helicopter and only the second British aircraft downed (the first was an RAF Hercules) due to enemy fire in the war.

Despite being well liked by the services the Lynx does not have a good safety record. The aircraft has been grounded on a number of occasions. In 2000 fatigue problems with the rotor head led to a Dutch aircraft crash and subsequent grounding. In early 2004 three Lynx crashed in a matter of weeks and again some aircraft were grounded. One of the reasons for the Future Lynx programme is to cure some of the known problems with the airframe and rotor systems.

The AH.7 addon...

As with the Puma the Lynx model has be rebuilt several times to take advantage of lessons learnt and to support new features or versions. The final model has become the basis of 9 different variants and its still evolving.

In the British Lynx AH pack for ArmA there will be several versions:

In reality the TOW missile is being withdrawn from use in the British Army although 847NAS of the Royal Marines apparently still use them in the single GPMG and 4 TOW loadout.

"Battlefield" - Lynx AH.9

The AH.9 differs from the older AH.7 type in that it doesn’t have the M65 Roof Mounted Sight. It has a tricycle landing gear instead of the skids, and cannot load TOW missiles. The main gear struts clash with the lower tubes.

The AH.9 was developed in the late 80's/early 90s to provide the Army with a utility aircraft capable of carrying a section of men and their equipment. The reality is you are lucky if you get 6 in the back with bergens. Add a door gunner or two and you might as well walk. Its main tasking is light resupply and mission support. I.e. dropping off small caches of supplies or men where a larger helicopter isn’t suitable. The more cynical among the Army’s members believe its “...main tasking has always been the delivery of soup to the troops hence the nickname of Soup Dragons.”

For our version, I’m sorry to say it won’t be much different. Although perhaps unrealistically you will be able to get eight men in the back of the unarmed version.

What you can expect...

The Lynx still holds the world speed record for a helicopter. But the Lynx that achived that record wasn't a standard battlefield spec machine. The version we have made also isn't going to break any world speed records either. The Max Operational speed: 130kts is all you'll get.

We've done alot of research, bought all the books, talked to actual pilots and I've even spoken to the service crews at Dishforth. The performance of the addon is similar to the normal operating speeds of in service aircraft. We won't change it because wikipedia says it should go faster.

As for features, the usual RKSL Helicopter feature set:

• Fully working and practical cockpit
• Cargo system support
• Dynamic Rotor System
• Integrated Chaff & Flare countermeasures
• Radar Warning Reciver (FCSS compatibily required)
• Improved Flight Model