Name SR.N5 Warden class Type Hovercraft | Preceded by SR.N4 Length 39 ft 5 in (12.01 m) | |
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Builders British Hovercraft Corporation Displacement 17,500 lb (7.9 t) maximum | ||
The Saunders-Roe SR.N5 (or Warden class) was a medium-sized hovercraft which first flew in 1964. It has the distinction of being the first production-built hovercraft in the world.
Contents
A total of 14 SR.N5s were constructed. While Sauders-Roe had developed and produced the type, an additional seven vehicles were also manufactured by Bell Aerosystems under licence in the United States, designated as the Bell SK-5. A number of SK-5s were operated by the US military, this includes a number which became Patrol Air Cushion Vehicles (PACV), and saw action in Vietnam. The SR.N5 was subsequently developed into "stretched" variant, which was designated as the SR.N6 and went on to be produced in greater numbers
Design and development
The first SR.N5 (001) started sea trials in April 1964; as a result fin area was increased and a system for ducting plenum air to improve low speed handling.
Civilian service
At least two of the Bell-built SK-5s were placed into civilian service. San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines operated the SK-5 for scheduled passenger services in the San Francisco Bay Area during the mid 1960s as a supplement to its helicopter airline service.
Military service
Four SR.N5s entered service with the Interservice Hovercraft Trials Unit at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) for trials and operational missions. Given the military aircraft serial numbers XT492, XT493, XT657 and XW246, these were deployed in the UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Aden, Libya and Belgium. Two were subsequently converted to SR.N6s.
Three Bell SK-5s saw service with the United States Navy and another three with the United States Army in Vietnam during the late 1960s.
The Sultanate of Brunei and the Canadian Coast Guard had one SR.N5 each.