Everyone in the world seems to use the Sea King or atleast a member of the Sea King Family. Westland Helicopters signed a licence agreement with Sikorsky in 1969 to use the airframe and rotor system of the Sikorsky Sea King to meet a British Royal Navy requirement for an Anti-submarine warfare helicopter to replace the Westland Wessex. The prototype and pre-production aircraft were built using Sikorsky-built components.

The first Westland-built aircraft, the first production aircraft for the Royal Navy designated the Sea King HAS1, first flew on the 7 May 1969 and was delivered to the navy in the same year. The last Sea King to be built by Westland was at Yeovil in 1990 and the last of the Royal Navy Sea King ASW helicopters was retired in 2003, being replaced by the AgustaWestland Merlin HM1.

The Airborne Surveillance and Area Control (ASaC) or Airborne Early Warning (AEW) variant is expected to be replaced in time for the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. The types in contention are a Merlin derivative, a V-22 Osprey variant or a derivative of the E-2C Hawkeye. The HC4 commando variant is also expected to be replaced within the next decade along with Search and Rescue variants. 330 were produced in total.

The UK currently uses four versions of this classic aircraft:

• ASaC.7 - Royal Navy - Airborne Surveillance and Area Control Sea King (previously AEW - Airborne Early Warning)
• HC/4 - Royal Navy - The commando version of the Helicopter
• HAS 6 - Royal Navy - The Mk6 (CR) is a conversion of retired Anti-Submarine Sea King HAS Mk 6 airframes and has a broadly similar troop carrying and load lifting capability to the HC Mk4.
• HAR3/3A - Royal Airforce - These entered RAF service in 1978 and the 3A in 1996; both marks of aircraft are used in the Search and Rescue (SAR) role.

• Source: Royal Air Force Website
• Source: Royal Navy Website
• Source: Wikipedia

Real World Specs

Max speed:125Kts
Length: 22.12m
Span: 18.9m
Max altitude: 10,000ft
Aircrew: 4
Armament: Light Machine gun on some versions.

RKSL Planned Features & Specs

RKSL will be making all the versions currently in use with the Royal Navy and Air Force. The addon will feature:

• Original Models
  • ASaC.7 Varient
  • HC.4 Commando
  • HAS6
  • HAS3/3A
• RAF and Royal Navy schemes
• Fully modeled landing gear
• RKSL Cargo System Support
• Door winch where appropriate
• Winchman positions
• Dynamic Rotors

Screen Shots

NOTE: Images shown are WIP textures and do NOT represent the final article

HC.4 - Work In Progress

HAS.6CR - Work In Progress

HAR.3 - Work In Progress

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