Whirlwind HAR9 helicopter question

Wow!
– My Missus has always said thats why I’m good at Triv – my memory is full of rubbish from years ago!

this is probably not much use but ive put it here anyway
WS55 srs 3 SS11 fit

As `Alertken` says,the SS11 was fitted to the Antarctic aircraft XM666.I don`t know if that was the only aircraft fitted.I did the flight trials at BD in Sept.69,prior to the ship going South,and the reason given was that the South American country was making `noises` around the Falklands,and the aircraft/ships needed some self-protection.Also ,the Mk9 had the new `all-weather` nose-door fitted,and it was considered prudent to test-fire the missiles as there was a possibility of engine intake re-ingestion of gases when firing,and possible flame-out. We carried out basic handling tests with dummy missiles at BD(I think it could only carry 2,unlike the -10 which could carry 4),and then went to West Freugh for firing. Unfortunately ,there were a couple of problems with the system,and also the range `safety trace` for firing,so we returned to BD for a week or so,and then returned to WF. Originally my `shooter` on the first trip was Navy,who had fired AS/SS missiles,but on the second trip ,I took an AAC chap,who had done the ground school,but had never fired a missile. Anyway,we also had to fire at the hover at about 10-15 feet,at the waters edge at low-tide,to keep in the safety -trace limits.The missile was a live-fire,but inert warhead; on firing ,off it went,no engine/handling problems at all; however,the `shooter` was totally surprised at the event ,and the missile neede `gathering` upwards,as it did not have the gravity drop compensation,and needed `full-up` on the controller until it was `above the horizon`. Since we were at such a low height,this also added to the difficulty,and the missile sagged down until it hit the sea. I called to `Jettison`,which terminates the directing signals and releases the wirespools. Unfortunately,Luce bay is rather shallow,and as the missile motor burns for about 45 secs,it had now become a `torpedo`,bouncing off the sea-bed,and appearing like a porpoise,shedding fins,and heading in various directions,fortunately not in ours.. Eventually ,it all stopped,leaving bits of wooden fins floating around.
The `controller` was a simple mini`joystick-on-a-ball` ,on a fold-down/up armrest attached to the side of the cockpit transmission tunnel ,and the armament/selector panel was mounted on the port instrument panel coaming…I think!!

Just a thought here, I would think that David Gibbings who is the Westland archivist would be worth trying for information, much of the Fairey archive went to the Fleet Air Arm Museum, wondering if some of the Westland SARO stuff may have aswel?
Mr Gibbings can be contacted by PMing Judwin.

Why, I wondered, did a carrier planeguard carry ASMs? I think thus:
-wire-guided SS.10 was baptised by Israel v.Egypt, 10/56. On Alouette II, as ATM and ASM in Algeria, French Army then fitted SS.11 (part-US MAP-funded in R&D and in tooling Nord/Bourges). British Army gained its organic Air Corps (AAC), 1957 and initiated Saro P.531 (to be Scout) as a fighting vehicle;
-AAC/RAF Joint Helicopter Unit/Andover, 1959 trialled SS.11 on Whirlwind HAR.2, continuing as RAF 225 Sqd/Odiham (was this RAF’s sole involvement with ATM?) Army judged that battlefield vulnerability (operator exposure until missile impact) was offset by the force multiplier effect, and chose to fit SS.11 to Scout, anti-armour. RN chose AS.12, ASV, on Wasp and SS.11 on Whirlwind HAR.9s, only, I think, on the Antarctic patrol vessels HMS Protector, 1966*-70, and HMS Endurance, 1968*-70. That would then be classified as a Special-Order Only modification, which is why Rigga never saw it installed.

* sycamore below says: from 9/69. He also says (Srs.3) HAR.10 could carry 4xSS.11 but I find no note of RAF interest in heli-borne ATM. Maybe A&AEE trialled, not deployed?
(11/7: ) found a pPruNe post, of SS.11 strike by (one of RAF Simanggang, Sarawak) detached HAR.10s from 110/225/230 Sqdns. on holed-up Indon insurgents, 1965.
** Rigga: please explain to She Who Must Be Obeyed that one man’s Triv is another’s Oral History!…and keeps us out of real mischief.

…If the SS-11 was a visual f-b-w missile….

It was.
IIRC, Wasn’t it used on the Scouts? They might have the same control setup.

It might be worth your while buying a Whirlwind manual (available on e-bay) to research this more.
I never saw this installed – but it was pictured in the parts catalogue which must have shown where it was intended to be fitted.
If the SS-11 was a visual f-b-w missile – it may have been a hand-held controller, or a unit installed instead of the co-pilots controls.