Hello,
sorry about the delay in replying. I had no experience of the W.30 in a military role, but I suspect it would not have succeeded in the military role in the form we had it, i.e, short range with F.O.D. sensitive engines. However I believe the Series 3 with the more powerful American Engines(T.800?) with a much greater range, greater M.T.O.W. and payload, 150knot cruise and crash resistance fuselage would have made an excellent machine for both military and civil North Sea operations assuming it lived up to the hype. Unfortunately the lack of about £90 million to develope the machine, and perhaps the military timescale involved, killed it off. It did fly some test flights at Westlands I believe, but I don't know how well it did. If they had had the money and the time to fully develope it then I believe it would have been able to win both military and civil approval and would have sold well. Big 'if' of course.