The Westland Lysander was the product of a specification from 1934 of the British ministry of Aviation for a double seated Army close support aircraft.

The most important demands for the new aircraft were: excellent view and STOL capacity (Short Take Off and Landing), because of those demands the designers choose a cockpit with lots of glass witch carried the root of the unusually shaped, high placed wing of witch the outside parts were supported by 'V'-profiles on the free-supporting main (fixed) landing-gear.

The main landing gear was also fitted with hard points that were able to carry up to 227 Kg. of bombs, or other supplies.

The first of two prototypes flew in June 1936 with a Bristol Mercury XII 'Star-engine' (664 kW) and after the successful test flights the aircraft was taken into production as the Lysander Mk I of witch 169 were build, they came into use from June 1938.

Further development of the Lysander resulted in the following types:

517x Lysander Mk II:    powered by the Bristol Perseus XII (675 kW)

517x Lysander Mk III:    powered by the Mercury XX (649 kW)

347x Lysander Mk IIIA:    powered by the Mercury 30

14x Lysander TT.Mk I:    Converted Mk I's to serve as goal-towing aircraft.

5x TT.Mk II:    about the same conversion as the TT.Mk I

51x T.Mk III:    about the same conversion as the TT.Mk I and TT.Mk II

100x TT.Mk IIIA:    about the same conversion as the TT.Mk I, TT.Mk II and T.Mk III

Early operations in France proved that the Lysander nearby modern fighters and anti-aircraft guns was to vulnerable to perform the planed role and although the Lysander kept active in the frontline, most of this type was used in the second line like goal towing, sea-rescue, radar calibrating and infiltration and evacuation of secret agents.