Manufacturer catalog

Westland Helicopters

Westland Helicopters was the Yeovil-based British rotorcraft manufacturer that grew out of Westland Aircraft and became one of the UK's defining helicopter producers. Its lineage anchors Westland-built military helicopter families such as the Sea King and the British Puma branch, linking naval aviation, battlefield lift, utility transport, and search-and-rescue production.

2 weapons

Westland Helicopters traces back to the Yeovil factory that Leonardo's heritage pages identify as the Westland Aircraft Works, established in 1915. The company name changed to Westland Helicopters in 1961 as Westland shifted from fixed-wing aircraft into rotary-wing production and consolidated helicopter activity in south-west England.

Westland's Yeovil rotorcraft line produced the Sea King family, built Puma helicopters for UK service under the Anglo-French programme, and established a British helicopter manufacturing base that later flowed into AgustaWestland and Leonardo's UK helicopter business.

Military helicoptersMaritime helicoptersSearch and rescue helicoptersUtility rotorcraftRotorcraft manufacturing

Notable Systems

Sea King, Multi-role maritime helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs

Sea King

Multi-role maritime helicopter

Westland's British-built Sea King family adapted the Sikorsky S-61/SH-3 design for naval, utility, and rescue missions from the Yeovil production line.

Sources: Sea King anniversary history, Leonardo UK heritage
SA 330 Puma, Twin-engine medium-lift utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs

SA 330 Puma

Twin-engine medium-lift utility helicopter

The Anglo-French helicopter programme put the SA 330 Puma on production lines in France and the United Kingdom; the RAF history records Westland building 48 Puma HC.Mk 1 aircraft after an initial SA330 delivery.

Sources: RAF Puma HC2, Leonardo UK heritage

Manufacturer History

  1. Westland Aircraft Works established in Yeovil

    Leonardo's Yeovil history page says the Westland Aircraft Works was established in 1915 and became the site's original aerospace base.

    Sources: Leonardo in Yeovil

  2. Westland Aircraft becomes Westland Helicopters

    Leonardo's heritage timeline records the 1961 name change as Westland shifted from fixed-wing aircraft toward helicopter production.

    Sources: Leonardo UK heritage

  3. Agusta acquires Westland Helicopters

    Leonardo's company history says the acquisition of Westland Helicopters in 2000 led to the creation of AgustaWestland.

    Sources: Leonardo centenary history

Predecessors
Westland Aircraft
Successors
AgustaWestland
Website links
Leonardo in YeovilLeonardo UK heritageSea King anniversary history

Westland Helicopters is a legacy name within Leonardo's Yeovil rotorcraft heritage. Westland Aircraft and AgustaWestland remain in the record as historical relationship and search labels.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Leonardo in YeovilPublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the Yeovil site as the historic home of British helicopters, the 1915 Westland Aircraft Works origin, and Leonardo's current UK rotary-wing manufacturing role. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Leonardo UK heritagePublisher: Leonardo in the UK | Note: Supports the 1961 Westland Aircraft to Westland Helicopters rename and the broader Westland lineage within Leonardo's UK heritage timeline. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Leonardo centenary historyPublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the 2000 acquisition of Westland Helicopters by Agusta and the creation of AgustaWestland as the successor helicopter group. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Sea King anniversary historyPublisher: Leonardo UK | Note: Supports the Westland Sea King family as a Westland-built helicopter line and the production and mission context associated with the manufacturer. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • RAF Puma HC2Publisher: Royal Air Force | Note: Supports the SA 330 Puma as an Anglo-French programme with UK production by Westland, including 48 Puma HC.Mk 1 aircraft built for RAF service. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Westlandsyeovil.jpg on Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the reusable CC BY-SA 2.0 image of the Westland factory entrance in Yeovil and its direct connection to the manufacturer's historic production site. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

2/2
Sea King, Multi-role maritime helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs1982 Falklands War, 1990 Gulf War +4 moreSea KingMulti-role maritime helicopterBuilt in: United KingdomThe Sea King is the British-built Westland WS-61, a licensed version of the Sikorsky S-61/SH-3 Sea King that first flew in 1969 and saw more than 340 aircraft delivered. Westland marks covered anti-submarine, airborne surveillance, commando transport, utility, and search-and-rescue work, with documented service from the Falklands War and Gulf War through Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Ukraine.
SA 330 Puma, Twin-engine medium-lift utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs1982 Falklands War, 1990 Gulf War +3 moreSA 330 PumaTwin-engine medium-lift utility helicopterBuilt in: France / United Kingdom / RomaniaThe SA 330 Puma is a French-designed twin-engine medium-lift helicopter family built for troop transport, casualty evacuation, logistics, search-and-rescue, and utility missions. Cataloged conflict rows cover Argentine Puma use in the Falklands War, RAF support-helicopter use in the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq, plus Portugal's late-2024 transfer of stored Puma helicopters to Ukrainian forces, while the record separates the original SA 330 family from the later Super Puma/Cougar successor page.