Lysander file photo [139]

Lysander

CountryUnited Kingdom
ManufacturerWestland Aircraft Limited
Primary RoleOther

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Lysander cooperation and liaison aircraft were the response to the British Air Ministry's Specification A.39/34 of 1934. Equipped with automatic wing slats and slotted flaps, the design was rather advanced. The design won the contract in Sep 1936. They entered service in Jun 1938, mainly used for artillery spotting and message dropping. During the Battle of France in 1940, a squadron of Lysander aircraft was used as light bombers, suffering high loss rate by German fighters. After the fall of France, most Lysander aircraft were withdrawn from combat units and served mainly in liaison and air-sea rescue roles. In Aug 1941, Squadron No. 138 RAF was formed with several Lysander aircraft, among others, to maintain contact with French Resistance cells; Squadron No. 138 conducted supply drops, delivered and retrieved agents, and rescued downed pilots sheltered by the French. Because of they were able to operate on small open fields, Lysander aircraft performed admirably.

ww2dbaseThe Free French, Finland, Ireland, Egypt, the United States and several other nations operated Lysander aircraft. Egyptian Lysander aircraft, which operated against Israel during the War of Independence in 1948, were the last to see active service.

ww2dbaseDuring the production life of the design, 1,786 were built, which includes 225 aircraft license-built in Canada.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Jul 2007

Lysander Timeline

15 Jun 1936 The Westland Lycander Army co-operation aircraft, originally ordered under British Air Ministry Specification A.39/34, took its first flight.
4 Sep 1941 The first Lysander mission to France took place when a British Special Operations Executive agent was landed in a field near Issoudun, France, about 100 kilometers south of Orleans, and another was collected. The Lysander aircraft, painted matte black, spent just two minutes on the ground.
16 Jun 1943 Noor Inayat Khan boarded a Lysander aircraft in Britain for France. She was accompanied by her superior Vera Atkins.

SPECIFICATIONS

Mk III
MachineryOne Bristol Mercury XX rated at 870hp
Armament1x0.303 caliber Lewis gun
Crew1
Span15.24 m
Length9.29 m
Height3.50 m
Wing Area24.20 m²
Weight, Empty1,834 kg
Weight, Loaded2,645 kg
Weight, Maximum2,866 kg
Speed, Maximum341 km/h
Rate of Climb7.20 m/s
Service Ceiling6,550 m
Range, Normal966 km

Mk I
MachineryOne Mercury XII radial engine rated at 890hp
Armament2x7.7mm forward Browning machine guns, 1x7.7mm Lewis or Vickers K gun, 4x9kg bombs under fuselage, optional 227kg of bombs under wings
Crew1
Span15.24 m
Length9.29 m
Height3.50 m
Wing Area24.20 m²
Weight, Empty1,834 kg
Weight, Loaded2,645 kg
Weight, Maximum2,866 kg
Speed, Maximum341 km/h
Rate of Climb7.20 m/s
Service Ceiling6,550 m
Range, Normal966 km

Mk II
MachineryOne Bristol Perseus XII radial engine rated at 905hp
Armament2x7.7mm forward Browning machine guns, 1x7.7mm Lewis or Vickers K gun, 4x9kg bombs under fuselage, optional 227kg of bombs under wings
Crew1
Span15.24 m
Length9.29 m
Height3.50 m
Wing Area24.20 m²
Weight, Empty1,834 kg
Weight, Loaded2,645 kg
Weight, Maximum2,866 kg
Speed, Maximum341 km/h
Rate of Climb7.20 m/s
Service Ceiling6,550 m
Range, Normal966 km

Photographs

Three Lysander aircraft in flight, circa 1930s-1940sLysander Mk III aircraft in flight, 1940sPrime Minister Mackenzie King visiting No. 110 (City of Toronto) Squadron RCAF, 30 Jan 1940; note Lysander aircraft in backgroundF4U Corsair, P-40E Warhawk, and Lysander aircraft on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia, United States, 26 Apr 2009
See all 5 photographs of Lysander



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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Dave says:
16 Oct 2016 05:48:40 PM

Hi
is there a data base of Lysander pilots during WW11?
Cheers
Dave

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Lysander Photo Gallery
Three Lysander aircraft in flight, circa 1930s-1940s
See all 5 photographs of Lysander


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