What is westland wyvern?

The Westland Wyvern was a British single-seat carrier-based strike aircraft that was developed in the late 1940s and saw service with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm from 1953 to 1958. It was designed to replace the aging Fairey Firefly in the strike and anti-submarine role.

The Wyvern featured a distinctive "flying barrel" design with a slender fuselage and a large radial engine mounted on the nose. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Eagle 22 piston engine, which gave it impressive performance for a carrier-based aircraft.

The aircraft was armed with a combination of rockets, bombs, and cannon armament, making it a versatile platform for attacking both air and ground targets. It also had the ability to carry a torpedo for anti-submarine warfare.

Despite its advanced design and powerful engine, the Wyvern suffered from a number of technical issues and never fully lived up to its potential. It was eventually replaced by the Hawker Sea Hawk and de Havilland Sea Venom in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.

In total, around 127 Westland Wyverns were produced, with the last aircraft being retired from service in 1958. Today, only a few examples of the Wyvern exist in museums around the world, serving as a reminder of this unique and innovative aircraft.