It had been selected amongst various competing projects to meet a Ministry of Supply requirement for a lightweight helicopter to be used by the British Army for aerial observation purposes.

The Ultra-light found itself a casualty of the British defence economies of the later 1950s, as well as of intense competition from rival firms who had their own light rotorcraft projects, in particular the Saunders-Roe Skeeter.

[1] In 1953 a requirement was issued by the British Ministry of Supply for a low-cost two-seat helicopter, which would be suitable for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and training duties.

The rotorcraft was also required to be transportable on the back of a standard Army three-ton truck, constricting the dimensions of the prospective vehicle considerably.

At this time, newly developed gas turbines were beginning to appeal both to helicopter designers and to prospective operators, the British Army made the use of such an engine one of its requirements.

[2] The Fairey Ultra-light Helicopter emerged as a compact side-by-side two-seater, powered by a single Turbomeca Palouste turbojet engine, which was produced under licence by Blackburn.

The engine was furnished with an oversized compressor for the purpose of providing air to the tip-burners at 40 psi (275 kPa); this arrangement eliminated the necessity for a tail rotor in order to counteract torque, which was not a factor with the tip jet configuration adopted.

[6] There were many demonstrations of the Ultra-light's capabilities performed at airshows, during military exercises and at sea, including a deployment aboard the U-class destroyer HMS Grenville.

[7] While some trials were conducted, including one prototype being successfully tested for suitability on board an aircraft carrier, the Navy appeared to lack enthusiasm for the Ultra-light and it became clear that the Ministry would not be providing any further funding for its development.

Recognising that the prospects for a military order from the British services to have become very limited, the company decided to re-orientate the Ultra-light to conform with the preferences and needs of civil operators instead.

[7] Fairey proceeded to develop a dedicated model of the Ultra-light for the civil market, specifically designed to be capable of conducting functions such as communications activities and crop spraying.

[2] Despite considerable interest from abroad, particularly from customers in the US and Canada, no orders for the type were received and only the six development Ultra-lights were constructed before the programme was ultimately abandoned in 1959.

In 1977, it was rediscovered in a derelict condition on a farm near Harlow and was promptly transferred to The Helicopter Museum, being moved to Weston-super-Mare in May 1979 and put into storage prior to its restoration.