Westland Welkin

Welkin
Welkin Mk I
General information
Type	High altitude fighter
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Westland Aircraft
Designer	W.E.W. Petter
Primary user	Royal Air Force
Number built	77
History
Manufactured	1940-1945
Introduction date	May 1944
First flight	1 November 1942
Retired	November 1944

The Westland Welkin was a British twin-engine heavy fighter from the Westland Aircraft Company, designed to fight at extremely high altitudes, in the stratosphere; the word welkin meaning "the vault of heaven" or the upper atmosphere.^[1] First conceived in 1940, the plane was built in response to the arrival of modified Junkers Ju 86P bombers flying reconnaissance missions,^[2] which suggested the Luftwaffe might attempt to re-open the bombing of England from high altitude. Construction was from 1942 to 1943. The threat never materialised; consequently, Westland produced only a small number of Welkins and few of these flew.