{"id":31775107,"date":"2026-11-08T11:07:26","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T10:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bristol-belvedere-westland-raf-tandem-rotor-helicopter-history\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T11:15:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T10:15:43","slug":"bristol-belvedere-westland-raf-tandem-rotor-helicopter-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bristol-belvedere-westland-raf-tandem-rotor-helicopter-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Bristol Belvedere: The RAF&#8217;s Only British Twin-Rotor Helicopter"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Slowly, the crew lowered the spire, the fl&egrave;che, onto the roof of the building that had risen beside the ruins of the old cathedral.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The helicopter was a Bristol Belvedere, and the moment captured everything that made it special. It was the only British tandem-rotor helicopter ever to enter production, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-kingdom-royal-air-force\/\">Royal Air Force<\/a> flew it from Britain to Borneo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Today the Belvedere is a footnote, overshadowed by the American <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ch-47-chinook\/\">Chinook<\/a> that took up its twin-rotor layout years later. Its story, from a cancelled airliner to the jungles of Borneo and the mountains of Aden, deserves better.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Type:<\/strong> Bristol Type 192 Belvedere HC1, tandem-rotor transport helicopter<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 5 July 1958 (prototype XG447)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Engines:<\/strong> Two Napier Gazelle turboshafts, 1,465 shp each, linked by a synchronising shaft<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Capacity:<\/strong> Up to 18 troops, 12 stretchers or 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) of cargo<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Built:<\/strong> 26 for the Royal Air Force<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Squadrons:<\/strong> Nos. 26, 66 and 72 Squadrons, 1961 to 1969<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Operations:<\/strong> Brunei revolt, Borneo confrontation, Aden and the Radfan<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>On display:<\/strong> XG474 at the RAF Museum London; others at The Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From airliner to warship to the RAF<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Belvedere began as something else entirely. Its ancestor was the Bristol Type 173, a civil tandem-rotor helicopter that first flew on 3 January 1952. That project was cancelled in 1956, and Bristol turned instead to the Type 191 and Type 193, naval versions for the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Those were cancelled too, but the RAF stepped in, and the design became the Type 192 Belvedere. Three Type 191 airframes that were almost complete were put to work on the programme, two as ground test rigs for its new Napier Gazelle turboshaft engines and one for fatigue testing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The naval heritage left a mark. The forward undercarriage was unusually tall, designed to give clearance for loading torpedoes under the fuselage in the anti-submarine role. On a troop transport, it meant the main passenger and cargo door sat 4 feet (1.2 m) above the ground. The name came from its lead designer, Raoul Hafner, who named it after a Baroque palace in his home city of Vienna.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/bristol-belvedere-xg459-farnborough-1961.jpg\" alt=\"Bristol Belvedere HC1 XG459 parked at the 1961 SBAC Farnborough show, showing the tall nose undercarriage and high cabin door\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Belvedere HC1 XG459 at the SBAC show at Farnborough in September 1961. Note the tall nose undercarriage, a legacy of the naval torpedo-loading requirement, and the high cabin door. Photo: TSRL \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Two rotors, two engines, one shaft<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The first Type 192 prototype, XG447, flew on 5 July 1958. Early aircraft had wooden rotor blades and fully manual controls; from the fifth prototype, all-metal four-bladed rotors were fitted. Production aircraft got controls and instruments suited to night flying.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The layout was elegant. One Gazelle sat at each end of the cabin, each rated at 1,465 shp. The two rotors were linked by a synchronising shaft so the blades could never collide, which also meant either engine could drive both rotors. If one engine failed, the other automatically ran up to double power.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Belvedere could carry up to 18 fully equipped troops, 12 stretchers or 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) of cargo, inside the cabin or slung underneath. Only 26 were built. By the time production aircraft rolled out, they were being built by Westland Aircraft&rsquo;s Bristol Helicopter Division, which is why the RAF Museum calls its example the Westland Belvedere.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lojJdYmduQc\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Archive footage of the Bristol Belvedere at the 1958 Farnborough Airshow, the year of its first flight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Spires, jungles and longhouses<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Belvedere Trials Unit at RAF Odiham became No. 66 Squadron in September 1961, and Nos. 72 and 26 Squadrons soon followed. One of the type&rsquo;s first headline jobs was the Coventry Cathedral lift, known as Operation Rich Man. It made such an impression that it followed one staff officer around for months.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/belvedere-coventry-cathedral-fleche-1962.jpg\" alt=\"An RAF Belvedere helicopter hovering above the new Coventry Cathedral with the bronze spire hanging beneath it, beside the old cathedral spire\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An RAF Belvedere of No. 38 Group places the fl&egrave;che on the new Coventry Cathedral in April 1962, with the spire of the bombed old cathedral at left. Air Ministry Christmas card, 1962 \/ CC0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;I seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time staffing MOD letters on sorties flown by a Belvedere to put a spire on Coventry Cathedral!&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Group Captain John L Price<\/strong> &mdash; Helicopter staff officer at HQ Transport Command from January 1963, RAF Historical Society Journal 25 (2001)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In 1962, No. 66 Squadron took its Belvederes to RAF Seletar in Singapore, some of them shipped out crated. When the Brunei revolt broke out that December, a detachment flew to Borneo to support Royal Marine and SAS patrols, move prisoners and troops, and lift a damaged Whirlwind helicopter to the carrier HMS <em>Albion<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>In January 1963, the Belvederes flew flood relief in North Borneo after exceptionally heavy rain, and in the months that followed they hauled tractors, bulldozer blades and road plant into the jungle so Gurkha engineers could build an airstrip. During the Indonesia&ndash;Malaysia confrontation they flew troop lifts, reconnaissance and casualty evacuation. Local people gave the big, long-bodied helicopters a fitting nickname.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;In Borneo natives named the Belvederes &lsquo;flying longhouses&rsquo;.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>RAF Museum<\/strong> &mdash; Individual history of Belvedere HC1 XG474, on its 1963 service in Borneo<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U5e-zdYBQF4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">British Path&eacute;&rsquo;s 1961 newsreel on the RAF&rsquo;s first Belvedere helicopter squadron.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Sand and fire in Aden<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>In 1964, Belvederes were sent to RAF Khormaksar in Aden for No. 26 Squadron&rsquo;s operations in the Radfan mountains. They resupplied forward positions, moved 105 mm guns and evacuated casualties. At the forward base of Thumier, some 2,000 feet up, midday temperatures reached 40 &deg;C.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Aden was hard on the machine. Fine sand meant frequent engine changes, and the Avpin engine starting system, which had been troublesome from the start, caused several minor fires. The type also suffered fatal accidents that grounded the fleet more than once, and the deaths of ground technicians flying as Belvedere crewmen pushed the RAF to create dedicated helicopter crewmen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The RAF Museum&rsquo;s own Belvedere shows what that meant for a single airframe. XG474 was shipped crated to Singapore in 1962 and joined No. 66 Squadron in June 1962, flew in the Brunei detachment and in Sarawak, then sailed to Aden aboard the carrier HMS <em>Centaur<\/em> in May 1964. With No. 26 Squadron it logged 218 hours of operational flying, mostly in support of the Radfan operations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/belvedere-xg474-raf-museum-london.jpg\" alt=\"Belvedere HC1 XG474 in dark green camouflage on display inside a hangar at the RAF Museum in London\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">XG474, which served in Singapore, Borneo and Aden, now on display at the RAF Museum in London. Photo: Alan Wilson \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A short career<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Belvedere&rsquo;s service life was brief. Procurement had always been political: the Treasury had pushed to curb production in favour of the licence-built Westland Wessex, and No. 72 Squadron swapped its Belvederes for Wessexes as early as August 1964. No. 26 Squadron disbanded in Aden in November 1965, and its aircraft went by carrier to Singapore to join No. 66 Squadron.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>When No. 66 Squadron disbanded in March 1969, the RAF&rsquo;s Belvedere era was over. A civil 24-seat version, the Type 192C, had been offered for intercity services, but no orders came.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vtoP7QUYCxE\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Combat Power on the rise and fall of the Bristol Belvedere.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A handful survive. XG474, which flew in Singapore, Borneo and Aden, is on display at the RAF Museum in London, while The Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare looks after others. The twin-rotor layout lived on, but it was the American <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ch-46-sea-knight\/\">CH-46 Sea Knight<\/a> and Chinook that went on to make it a worldwide standard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Belvedere was awkward, temperamental and gone in eight years. It was also the helicopter that put a spire on a cathedral, flew into the jungle as a &ldquo;flying longhouse&rdquo;, and proved that Britain could build a heavy-lift twin-rotor machine of its own.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Bristol Belvedere), RAF Museum (individual history of Belvedere XG474), Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal 25, Historic England<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the Bristol Belvedere?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere was a twin-engine, tandem-rotor transport helicopter built for the Royal Air Force. It first flew on 5 July 1958, entered service in 1961 and was retired in 1969. It was the only British tandem-rotor helicopter to enter production, and 26 were built.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why is it called the Westland Belvedere?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Belvedere was designed by Bristol, but production aircraft were built by Westland Aircraft&rsquo;s Bristol Helicopter Division at Weston-super-Mare, so it is sometimes called the Westland Belvedere. The RAF Museum uses that name for its example, XG474. The name itself came from a Baroque palace in Vienna.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did a Belvedere helicopter put the spire on Coventry Cathedral?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. In April 1962 an RAF Belvedere hoisted the 80-foot bronze spire, or fl&egrave;che, onto the roof of the new Coventry Cathedral in an operation called Operation Rich Man. Photographs of the lift, with the old cathedral spire in the background, became some of the best-known images of the type.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where did the RAF use the Belvedere?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Belvedere served with Nos. 26, 66 and 72 Squadrons. From RAF Odiham it deployed to Singapore, and it flew operations during the Brunei revolt, the Indonesia&ndash;Malaysia confrontation in Borneo and the Aden Emergency, carrying troops, supplies, artillery and casualties.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Could the Belvedere fly on one engine?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. The Belvedere&rsquo;s two rotors were linked by a synchronising shaft to stop the blades colliding, so either of its two Napier Gazelle turboshafts could drive both rotors. If one engine failed, the remaining engine automatically ran up to double power to keep the helicopter flying.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where can I see a Bristol Belvedere today?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Belvedere HC1 XG474, which served in Singapore, Borneo and Aden, is on display at the RAF Museum in London. The Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare holds other Belvederes, including XG454 on display, XG452 under restoration and the nose section of XG462.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Bristol Belvedere?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere was a twin-engine, tandem-rotor transport helicopter built for the Royal Air Force. It first flew on 5 July 1958, entered service in 1961 and was retired in 1969. 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Photographs of the lift, with the old cathedral spire in the background, became some of the best-known images of the type.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where did the RAF use the Belvedere?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Belvedere served with Nos. 26, 66 and 72 Squadrons. From RAF Odiham it deployed to Singapore, and it flew operations during the Brunei revolt, the Indonesia\u2013Malaysia confrontation in Borneo and the Aden Emergency, carrying troops, supplies, artillery and casualties.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Could the Belvedere fly on one engine?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. The Belvedere\u2019s two rotors were linked by a synchronising shaft to stop the blades colliding, so either of its two Napier Gazelle turboshafts could drive both rotors. 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The Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare holds other Belvederes, including XG454 on display, XG452 under restoration and the nose section of XG462.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/how-a-helicopter-flies-collective-cyclic-tail-rotor-explained\/\">How a Helicopter Flies: Collective, Cyclic and the Tail Rotor<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/raf-chinook-a400m-atlas-wildfire-firefighting-uk-2026\/\">RAF Chinooks and A400Ms to Fight UK Wildfires From the Air<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/sikorsky-r-4-hoverfly-carter-harman-first-helicopter-combat-rescue-burma-1944\/\">Sikorsky R-4: Carter Harman's First Helicopter Combat Rescue<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hh-43-huskie-pedro-firefighting-rescue-helicopter-vietnam\/\">HH-43 Huskie: The Firefighting Helicopter They Called Pedro<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Bristol Belvedere was Britain\u2019s only production tandem-rotor helicopter. It lowered the spire onto Coventry Cathedral and flew in Borneo and Aden before retiring in 1969.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":31774929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31775107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Bristol Belvedere: The RAF&#039;s Twin-Rotor Helicopter | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bristol Belvedere: Britain&#039;s only production tandem-rotor helicopter, which put the spire on Coventry Cathedral and flew in Borneo and Aden.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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