Airfix Aircraft 1/48 Westland Sea King HAS.1/HAS.5/HU.5 Kit

The Westland Sea King performed a variety of roles during its 49 years of service with the UK defence forces, including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search & rescue, and troop transport. Regarded as a stalwart of British skies, this icon of the air is in fact a license-built derivative of the American Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King. However, the Westland-built Sea Kings differ significantly from their American cousins due to the integration of British equipment. Selected by the Royal Navy to replace the aging Westland Wessex in the ASW role, the first Westland-built example took to the air in 1969 before entering Royal Navy service at the height of the cold war. Seeing action in the Falkland and Gulf wars as well as service in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan; the dependable Sea King would continue to prove its worth for decades. Despite continuous upgrades throughout its life, by the 2010’s the airframe was beginning to be superseded in its various roles and the end was nearing. The f