DÉFENSE ZONE
After more than 50 years of service, the SA 342 Gazelle helicopter has still not had its last word. Nearly a hundred are still in service with French Army Light Aviation and more than a hundred others still equip 23 nations. Present on every French operation since the 1970s, the Gazelle is gradually giving way to the EC 665 Tigre and, soon, the H160M Guépard.
History
Born in the second half of the 1960s, the Gazelle was designed by Sud-Aviation in response to a request from the ALAT (French Army Light Aviation) for a light, versatile helicopter to replace the Alouette II. The concept quickly attracted the interest of the United Kingdom, and an agreement was signed between France and the United Kingdom on 22 February 1967, also covering the development of the Puma and the Lynx.
The Gazelle was inspired by the Alouette family and used the same Astazou II engine. Its prototype, called the SA.340 and fitted with a conventional tail rotor, made its first flight on 7 April 1967. Prototype 002 flew a year later, on 12 April 1968, with a fenestron replacing the anti-torque rotor. This system has the advantage of considerably reducing the aircraft’s noise. The Gazelle was the first production helicopter to have this system, as well as composite blades and structure.
The first flight of the SA 341 production aircraft took place on 6 August 1971; two years later the first Gazelles entered service with the French Army. From 1970, production of the aircraft was taken over by Aérospatiale (Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale, SNIAS), which produced more than 1,200 of them.
While most of the different versions of the Gazelle were intended for the armed forces, it was also a real success in its civilian version.
Technical characteristics
Length: 9.53 m
Height: 3.19 m
Rotor diameter: 10.50 m
Empty weight: 1,200 kg
Maximum weight: 1,900 kg
Cruising speed: 230 km/h
Maximum speed: 310 km/h
Service ceiling: 6,000 m
Range: 670 km (ferry)
The Gazelle’s armament
The Gazelle’s armament depends on its model and assignment. It mainly includes:
- 1 door-mounted 20 mm cannon
- 1 7.62 mm Minigun (rotary) gun
- 4 HOT anti-tank missiles (2x2)
- 4 Mistral anti-aircraft missiles (2x2)
The Gazelle in the French Army
For 50 years the Gazelle has been the main attack helicopter in service with French Army Light Aviation. Aérospatiale built 1,200 of them in France, and nearly 300 equipped ALAT units. Today 86 are still in service, a third of them fitted with the Viviane system for firing HOT anti-tank missiles. The late arrival of new equipment programmes will keep the Gazelle in use until around 2030.
The Gazelle on operations
Since entering service, the Gazelle has taken part in every French Army operation, including
- Mid-1980s: Operations Manta and Épervier in Chad.
- 1990 - 1991: Gulf War in Iraq
- 1991 (April to June): Operation Libage (aid to the Kurdish population pursued by Iraqi troops)
- 1991 - 1992: intervention in Djibouti (civil war between the Afar and Issa ethnic groups)
- 1992: former Yugoslavia
- 1993: Somalia
- 1994: Rwanda, Operation Turquoise
- 2002 - 2015: Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Operation Licorne
- 2002: Afghanistan, International Security Assistance Force
- 2011: Libya, Operation Unified Protector
- 2013: Mali, Operation Serval then Operation Barkhane
The Gazelle on the export market
Gazelles, in various versions, currently equip 23 nations. Notably, 70 equip the Egyptian Air Force, 23 the Moroccan armed forces, and 17 are still in service with the British Army.
Replacing the Gazelle
Since 2005 the Gazelles have gradually been replaced by the EC 665 Tigre (Eurocopter). But the 67 Tigres cannot fully make up for the forthcoming withdrawal of the Gazelle. The arrival of 80 H160M Guépards should gradually fill this capability gap for French Army Light Aviation.
You can subscribe to our magazine and receive our latest issue, whose feature is devoted to the Special Operations Command (COS), access exclusive content and benefit from equipment and gear offers from our partners. Visit the Premium section.
