The high-winged Lysander (known to many British pilots as the "Lizzie") was developed in the early 1930's as a ground support and recon plane, entering service in 1938. Its first operational use, in France and Belgium in 1940, was disasterous. Out of over 170 used, over 80 were destroyed in the air and 30 more on the ground. Numbers continued to be used in North Africa until 1942 (replaced by the Tomahawk) and Burma until 1943 (replaced by the Hurricane). Those pulled from combat service were used as target tugs, air/sea rescue (carrying 2 inflatable dinghy containers like bombs, as well as four smoke markers) and, perhaps most importantly, covert ops.
Lysanders were used to supply equipment to the French resistance, as well as being able to carry up to two passengers (the tail gunner/observer and his weapons were removed). Due to a low stall speed, the Lysander could take off from short grass airfields within France, but lacked the range to reach Poland.
Egypt received 20 Lysanders during the war and used them operationally as late as 1948, against Israel. Finland received 9 planes.
Some 1,650 Lysanders of all types were built, some in Canada. The Lysander burns 29 gallons of fuel per hour at routine usage.
Westland Lysander IIIA
Subassemblies: Heavy Fighter chassis +3, Medium Fighter Wings
with STOL option +2, three fixed wheels +0.
Powertrain: 649-kW aerial HP gas engine with 649-kW old prop
and 127-gallon self-sealing tank [Body]
Occupancy: 2 CS. Cargo: 5 Body
| Armor | F | R/L | B | T | U |
| All | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
Weaponry
2¥Aircraft LMG/Browning [Body:F] (500 rounds each)*
2¥Aircraft LMG/Browning [Body:R] (500 rounds each)*
* Linked to fire in pairs, plus additional link can fire all four at
once
Equipment
Body: Medium range radio transmitter and receiver, navigation
instruments, autopilot. Wings: 250-lb hardpoint each.
Statistics
| Size: 31'x50'x15' | Payload : 0.6 tons | Lwt: 2.6 tons |
| Volume: 224 | Maint.: 48 hours | Price: $17,300 |
HT: 12
HP: 260 [body], 105 [each wing], 24 [each wheel]
| aSpeed: 216 | aAccel: 13 | aDecel: 29 | aMR: 7.25 | aSR: 1 |
Design Notes
Design aSpeed is 237 mph and stall speed 50 mph; the historical speeds,
as well as actual wing area (260 sf), has been used.
The "body" machineguns were located one each in the large spats around each landing gear; for simplicity, the MGs were considered part of the body. Likewise, the "body" hardpoints were actually racks on stub wings attached to the same whell spats.
The hardpoints could mount a variety of loads, including sixteen 20-lb bombs, four 112-lb bombs, two 250-lb bombs, two dinghy containers or two supply containers.
Variants
The Lysander I mounted only one rear MG, either a Lewis Mk.III (with
eight 97-round drums) or Vickers K machinegun. Used a 664-kW engine.
The Lysander II had a slightly more powerful 675-kW engine, but was otherwise the same as the Lysander I. Turkey received 36 and Ireland 6; 20 were later transferred to the Free French.
The Lysander III was almost identical to the IIIA, but mounted only one Browning MG to the rear. Lysander built about 370 III's and 350 IIIA's, with 150 more III's being built in Canada.
The Lysander III (SD) was a conversion of existing III or IIIA planes for covert operations. The rear gunner and rear guns were removed, the floor of the plane was armored (DR 20), a ladder was added to the left rear of the cockpit and provisions were made for a 180 gallon centerline belly tank to extend flight duration up to eight hours. Three squadrons (Nos. 138, 161 and 357) use the Lysander III (SD), as well as assorted other craft. Also known as the Lysander IIISCW.