The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat) is a military helicopter, developed by the British-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, and later marketed by the Italian aerospace company Leonardo. It is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx designed to serve in the battlefield utility, search and rescue, aerial reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), utility, command and control, and troop transport duties.
Development commenced during the early 2000s under the name Future Lynx to replace the existing Lynx helicopters then operated by both the Royal Navy and British Army. Refurbishment and upgrading of the existing first generation Lynx airframes was evaluated but found to be uneconomical in comparison to producing a new generation airframe. Various new electronics and avionics systems were incorporated, including a glass cockpit, onboard integrated digital open systems architecture, Bowman communications system, and various mission systems. The Wildcat also features numerous airframe improvements, such as the redesigned tail rotor and nose, greater structural strength, and a longer lifespan of 12,000 flight hours. New munitions, such as the Martlet air-to-surface missile and the Sea Venom anti-ship missile, were also integrated.
The Wildcat performed its maiden flight on 12 November 2009. On 29 August 2014, the Wildcat AH1 formally entered service with the Army Air Corps; in early 2015, the Fleet Air Arm's first Wildcat HMA2 commenced its initial operational deployment at sea. Within five years, both services had withdrawn the last Lynx helicopters in favour of the Wildcat."Royal Navy Lynx HMA8 fleet bows out of service" . Flight Global The rotorcraft is also marketed towards export customers; overseas operators include the Republic of Korea Navy and the Philippine Navy.
Development Background In 1995, the British Government announced that the Royal Navy's existing Westland Lynx helicopters were to be replaced; at that point, the service was intended to operate an all-Merlin fleet. Despite this stated intent, Westland Helicopters continued to hold talks with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to find a future role for the type during the late 1990s; the firm issued multiple proposals to either extend the life of the existing Super Lynx through upgrade programmes or more ambitious remanufacturing programmes incorporating varying degrees of new components.Derby, Paul. "GKN Westland offers UK Ministry of Defence upgrade for Lynx." Flight International, 22 February 2000. In 2002, the Future Lynx project originated in two studies to determine the suitability of a derivative of the Super Lynx 300 to replace the existing Lynx helicopters of the Royal Navy and British Army. These requirements were known as the Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft (SCMR) and Battlefield Light Utility Helicopter (BLUH) programmes, respectively.
In July 2002, AgustaWestland received a contract to conduct a formal assessment phase of the Future Lynx.Penney, Stewart. "Westland unveils cockpit concept for Lynx rebuild." Flight International, 15 April 2003. On 22 July 2002, a collaboration agreement was signed between AgustaWestland and Thales Group, under which Thales was assigned development responsibility for the programme's core avionics, including communications, navigation, and flight management electronics;"Thales joins Future Lynx programme." Flight International, 22 July 2002. that same day, additional MOD funding for the fledgling Future Lynx programme was announced as having been allocated."AgustaWestland sets its sights on Lynx deals." Flight International, 22 July 2002. By April 2003, the in-service dates for the BLUH and SCMR programmes were reported as being April 2007 and April 2008 respectively. Early on, AgustaWestland elected to adopt a glass cockpit incorporating electronics upgrades from the AgustaWestland AW101 along with various airframe improvements, such as a redesigned tail rotor and nose along with increased use of machined components over fabricated counterparts. By July 2004, the option of upgrading and remanufacturing the first generation Lynx had reportedly been judged to be uneconomical, and the BLUH programme of building a new generation airframe had been given prominence instead."Military pounces as Westland plans upgrade to Super Lynx." Flight International, 19 July 2004.
Restructure In late 2004, the National Audit Office (NAO) criticised the UK's existing helicopter fleet as being insufficient; concurrently, a major reorganisation of the MOD's procurement process subjected ongoing helicopter programmes to major restructuring."UK revamps helicopter strategy." Flight International, 12 October 2004. The BLUH was reportedly deemed unaffordable, and it was speculated that a more modest sensor fit could be used, as well as the procurement of alternative platforms such as the NHIndustries NH90, Eurocopter EC120, or Eurocopter EC635 instead of the Future Lynx.Hoyle, Craig. "EADS offers to solve UK helicopter crisis." Flight International, 30 November 2004. Ultimately, the utility transport aspect of the BLUH requirement was de-emphasised and the programme renamed Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter (BRH).
In early 2005, the MOD was reportedly deliberating on whether to launch an open competition for other companies to bid to meet the BRH requirement, or to sole-source the contract from AgustaWestland to proceed with the Future Lynx.Hoyle, Craig. "UK to decide on future helicopters." Flight International, 15 March 2005. In late March 2005, the MOD confirmed the Future Lynx as being its preferred option for its rotorcraft renewal programme, and was expected to place a non-competitive contract with AgustaWestland later that year."UK commits to Future Lynx helicopter." Flight International, 29 March 2005.Trimble, Stephen. "Rivals stay quiet over UK Future Lynx award – for now." Flight International, 5 April 2005. The signing of the contract was delayed to the following year, this was reportedly in part due to preparation and release of the 2005 Defence Industrial Strategy, which supported the selection of the Future Lynx."UK close to forging Future Lynx deal." Flight International, 24 January 2006.
On 22 June 2006, the MOD awarded AgustaWestland a £1 billion contract for 70 Future Lynx helicopters as a commitment under the Strategic Partnering Arrangement with AgustaWestland. The programme envisaged providing the British Army with 40 aircraft and Royal Navy with 30, with an option for a further 10, split equally between Army and Navy."AgustaWestland Awarded Future Lynx Contract" . AgustaWestland, 22 June 2006.Morrison, Murdo. "Pictures: AgustaWestland to supply 70 Future Lynx helicopters to UK." Flight International, 22 June 2006. By late 2007, the Future Lynx was scheduled to enter service with the British Army and Royal Navy in 2014 and 2015 respectively. In 2008, the cancellation of the Future Lynx programme has reportedly been under consideration.Hoyle, Craig. "AgustaWestland seeks export buyers for AW159 'Lynx Wildcat'." Flight International, 30 April 2009. In December 2008, the MOD announced that the main contract would be proceeding, only incurring a minor cut in numbers set to be procured, for a total of 62 rotorcraft.Hoyle, Craig. "UK cuts Future Lynx deal, delays new carriers" . Flight International, 12 December 2008.
Into production In October 2007, following the passing of an interim critical design review, the Future Lynx programme proceeded to the manufacturing phase; the first metal was cut on the initial flight-test rotorcraft that same month.Hoyle, Craig. "Pictures: UK's Future Lynx programme moves into manufacturing phase" . Flight International, 9 October 2007. In September 2008, the powerplant selected for the Future Lynx, the LHTEC CTS800-4N, received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification, enabling production deliveries to commence.Hoyle, Craig. "Future Lynx engine gets EASA certification." Flight International, 19 September 2008. In November 2008, GKN delivered the first complete airframe to AgustaWestland; the new airframe reportedly had an 80 per cent lower part count than the earlier generation Lynx, which was achieved via the use of monolithic machine components.O'Keeffe, Niall. "GKN delivers first Future Lynx airframe." Flight International, 17 November 2008.
On 24 April 2009, it was announced that the Future Lynx had been designated AW159 by AgustaWestland,"Future Lynx Is Now The AW159!" . AgustaWestland, 24 April 2009. and would be known in British military service as the Wildcat."New Wildcat helicopter unveiled" . MOD, 11 July 2012. On 12 November 2009, the first Lynx Wildcat conducted the type's maiden flight from AgustaWestland's facility in Yeovil, Somerset. On 14 October 2010, the second AW159 performed its first flight; on 19 November 2010, a third Wildcat joined the flight test programme.Hoyle, Craig. "Third Lynx Wildcat joins flight test fleet" . Flight International, 23 November 2010.
In July 2009, it was announced that the cost of the Wildcat programme had increased to £1.7 billion. defencemanagement.com, 21 July 2009. In December 2011, it was reported that four additional Wildcats had been ordered for use by British special forces. These are to be joined by four from the current fleet on order, for a total of eight aircraft to operate as Wildcat Light Assault Helicopters.Chunter, Andrew. Defense News, 21 December 2011. Further orders for the Wildcat have since been placed by export customers, including the Republic of Korea Navy and the Philippine Navy. The Philippines Department of National Defense secretary disclosed during the 2026 budget hearings that the government is negotiating with Leonardo for the purchase of six (6) new Wildcats at the cost of $745 million in a government-to-government arrangement."Leonardo nears deal to supply more AW159 Wildcat Helicopters to the Philippines" navalnews.com, 10 March 2025.
Design
The AW159 Wildcat is a further development of the Westland Lynx.Drwiega, Andrew. "Is the AW159 Lynx Wildcat Wild Enough?." Aviation Today, 1 April 2012. While the AW159 shares broad similarities in appearance to the Lynx, it has significant design differences and is heavily modernised and adapted to gain new attributes and functionality. The AW159 comprises 95% new components; the remaining 5%, consisting of such items as the fuel system and main rotor gearbox, are interchangeable with the Lynx AH7 and HMA8 variants. During development, the Army and Navy variants of the Wildcat reportedly maintained 98 per cent commonality with one another. The AW159 is the first helicopter by AgustaWestland to be designed inside an entirely digital environment. Among other changes, certain external elements of the Wildcat, such as the tail rotor, have been redesigned for greater durability and stealth qualities.