Westland Welkin
Fighter · Westland Aircraft · United Kingdom
| Typical crew | 1 |
|---|---|
| Engines | 2 × Rolls-Royce Merlin |
| First flight | 1942 |
| Number built | 77 |
About
The Westland Welkin was a high-altitude interceptor designed to meet a feared threat of German pressure-cabin reconnaissance bombers operating in the stratosphere. To reach such heights it had an exceptionally long, broad wing, a pressurised cockpit and two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines with extended superchargers. First flown in 1942, it could operate above 40,000 ft, but the expected high-flying raids never materialised in numbers, so the Welkin was never used in combat. About 77 were built, most going straight into storage, making it one of the least-used RAF types of the war despite its advanced design.
Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Royal Air Force Museum and Wikipedia — Westland Welkin. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.