Fairey Ultralight
| Ultra-light Helicopter | |
|---|---|
 |
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| The fourth Ultra-light Helicopter exhibited on a lorry at the 1957 Paris Air Salon | |
| Role | Light Army helicopter |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Fairey Aviation Company |
| First flight | 14 August 1955 |
| Retired | 1959 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | The manufacturer |
| Number built | 6 |
The Fairey Ultra-light Helicopter was a small British military helicopter intended to be used for reconnaissance and casualty evacuation, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company.
The Ultra-light had been conceived of as a straightforward, low cost and easily transportable helicopter. It lacked any tail rotor due to the decision to propel the rotorcraft using unconventional tip jets positioned at the ends of the rotor blades. It had been selected amongst various competing projects to meet a Ministry of Supply requirement for a lightweight helicopter to be used by the British Army for aerial observation purposes. Early trials with prototypes proved promising, however political factors ultimately undermined the project.
The Ultra-light found itself a casualty of the British defence economies of the later 1950s, as well as of intense competition from rival firms who had their own light rotorcraft projects, in particular the Saunders-Roe Skeeter. While Fairey attempted to proceed with development of the Ultra-light independently, promoting the type towards the civil market and achieving appropriate type certification for such use, no orders were ultimately received. The firm shelved the project, choosing to concentrate on the larger Fairey Rotodyne instead, which shared some design features.
During the early 1950s, the British Army was considerable interested in the potential use of compact helicopters in the observation and aerial observation roles. In 1953, there was a requirement issued by the British Ministry of Supply which sought for a low-cost two-seat helicopter, which would be suitable for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and training duties. This specification was considered to be quite demanding, calling for it to be capable of high speeds and quick climb rates even under tropical conditions. The rotorcraft was also required to be transportable on the back of a standard Army three-ton truck, constricting the dimensions of the prospective vehicle considerably.
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