Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Cosford Branch: History of the Attack Helicopter

A 40-year retrospective on the history of the attack helicopter, featuring a fascinating narrative with numerous twists and turns. The presentation will include an introduction to Westland project studies, encompassing stealth technology developments.

The lecture will be delivered by Jeremy Graham FRAeS, who retired as Chief Engineer for Sea King, Apache and Chinook helicopters at AgustaWestland in March 2016. With a distinguished career spanning over four decades, Graham joined Westland Helicopters as a postgraduate apprentice in 1975 and progressed through numerous senior engineering roles. His expertise encompasses UAV systems engineering, light attack helicopter development, avionics and weapons systems, and helicopter airworthiness.

Throughout his career, Graham has led major programme bids including the EH101 utility helicopter for RAF requirements and the Canadian Search and Rescue programme. He served as lead engineer for the Merlin Tactical Support Helicopter (HC3 Variant) and held senior safety and reliability positions within the integrated AgustaWestland engineering organisation. Graham also led the engineering bid for the USAF CSAR-X programme and, prior to retirement, served as Chief Engineer for out-of-production helicopter types.

A Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Graham remains active in the aerospace community as Joint Chair of the Yeovil Branch and Archivist for historical Petter/Westland records. This lecture offers a unique insider perspective on the evolution and engineering challenges of attack helicopter development.