British Hovercraft Corporation BH.7

BH7 of the armed forces of Iran
Class overview
Name	BH.7 Wellington class
Builders	British Hovercraft Corporation
Preceded by	SR.N6
General characteristics
Type	hovercraft
Tonnage	18.3 tonnes
Displacement	56 tonnes
Length	23.9 m (78 ft)
Beam	13.8 m (45 ft)
Height	10.36 m (34.0 ft) (on landing pads)
Installed power	4,250 shp (3,170 kW)
Propulsion	(Mk.2/4) 1 Rolls-Royce Marine Proteus 15M/541 gas turbine for lift and propulsion driving one four-bladed variable-pitch propeller
Speed	58 knots (107 km/h)
Troops	60
Crew	3

The British Hovercraft Corporation BH.7 (also known as the Wellington class) is a medium size hovercraft. It was the first quantity-production hovercraft to be specifically developed for military applications.^[1]

The prototype performed its first flight in November 1969; the type underwent extensive testing by the Royal Navy. The type performed several military roles, including mine countermeasures, fisheries protection, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, border patrol, naval surveillance, and transport duties; a civilian version was also developed. Even before the first BH.7 had been completed, export orders were already being secured for the type. The Imperial Iranian Navy would be a key military operator, having placed multiple orders for models of the BH.7. It was also intended for the Wellington class to be used by civil operators.