Topic: Security
Blog Brand: The Buzz
Region: Europe
Tags: Helicopters, Military, Movies, Security, United Kingdom, and Vietnam War

Westland Wessex: This Helicopter Turned Heads in “Full Metal Jacket”

February 7, 2025
By: Christian D. Orr

The Westland Wessex was the first helicopter in the world with a gas turbine propulsion system to be produced in large numbers.

“Get some! Get some! Get some, baby! Haha, get some! Anyone who runs is a VC. Anyone who stands still … is a well-disciplined VC, hahahaha!”

Fans of Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1987 Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket will instantly recognize that dialogue uttered by the U.S. Marine Corps helicopter door gunner portrayed by Tim Colceri (who, by the way, was originally slated to portray senior drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman before the late great R. Lee Ermey—initially hired solely the film’s technical advisor—stole the show).

So then, what is the helicopter that is used both in that scene and later on in the “Surfin’ Bird” combat scene? It’s an American-made Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw, correct? Well, yes and no. It’s actually a British-made Westland Wessex, a license-built derivative of the Choctaw, with internal and external modifications thrown in.

 

The National Interest now looks at this British whirlybird turned Hollywood movie star.

Westland Wessex Early History and Specifications

Built by the now defunct Westland Aircraft/Westland Helicopters (the same company that made the Lysander spy plane of World War II, the first short takeoff and landing aircraft), the Westland Wessex made its maiden flight on June 20, 1958, and made its official operational debut with the Royal Navy (RN) Fleet Air Arm in 1961 and with the Royal Air Force (RAF) the following year.

One of the key differences between the Wessex and its Choctaw progenitor was the replacement of the piston engine powerplant with a turboshaft engine; indeed, the Wessex was the first helicopter in the world to be produced in large numbers that made use of a gas turbine propulsion system. The British chopper also had a slightly longer nose than its American counterpart. The Westland warbird had the following tech specs and vital stats (courtesy of All the World’s Rotorcraft):

A total of 382 airframes were built. The plane was also adopted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Uruguayan Naval Aviation.

 

Westland Wessex Operational History

The Wessex was pressed into service as an antisubmarine warfare (ASW), utility, and search and rescue (SAR) platform. Though the chopper never actually fired upon an enemy submarine, the platform still saw plenty of action, starting with the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation or Borneo confrontation of 1963 to 1966; therein, Wessex crews assisted British Army and Royal Marine detachments fighting communist guerilla forces infiltrated by Indonesia over its 1,000-mile frontier with Malaysia.

The Wessex also proved its worth during the 1982 Falklands War, heavily used throughout the conflict for the infiltration of British special forces, including the elite Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Boat Service (SBS). And for good measure, a Wessex assigned to No 845 Naval Air Squadron fired an AS 12 missile at the town hall which was being used by General Mario Benjamin Menendez, commander of Argentine forces in the Falkland Islands, and his staff (the missile struck a police station). Nine Wessexes were lost during the campaign.

The RAF was the governmental entity to retire the Wessex, doing so in 2003.

Where Are They Now?

Of the 382 Wessexes built, thirty-six survive today in museums spread out across Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay, including the RAF Museum London; the Ulster Aviation Society in Lisburn, Northern Ireland; the Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset; and the Nepean Naval and Maritime Museum in Penrith, New South Wales. Most of these surviving whirlybirds are static displays; however, at least one was restored to airworthy condition, thanks to 10,000 hours of labor of love by a Historic Helicopters restoration team; HU5 XT761/ G‑WSEX finally flew again out of Crewkerne, Somerset, on February 15, 2019.

As for the actual H-34 Choctaw being “impersonated” (so to speak) by the Wessex in the movie, there are forty-three of those still left in museums across Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United States. From firsthand experience, I can attest that the one on display at the Leatherneck Gallery of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia, is an impressive sight to behold.

About the Author: Christian D. Orr

Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.

Image: Sgt. R.A. Fass, USMC – U.S. DefenseImagery photo via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain