Aérospatiale Dauphin
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The Aérospatiale Dauphin was a French utility helicopter developed as a replacement for its Alouette III.
The first prototype SA 360 A first flew on 2 June 1972 and was fitted with a 730 kW Turboméca Astazou XVI turboshaft. After 180 development flights, the engine was changed to a more powerful 785 kW Astazou XVIIIA. In order reduce vibration and to eliminate ground resonance, weights were also fitted to the rotor tips.
The first production aircraft—designated the SA 360 C—first flew in April 1975.
The SA 361 was developed for so-called "hot and high" circumstances and was a more powerful variant with improved performance and a greater payload capability. The SA 361 was never series-produced, although some prototypes were built.
Prototypes of a military variant of the SA 361, the SA 361 H (equipped with up to eight HOT anti-tank missiles) were also built, but the type was likewise never series-produced.
Further development was carried out as a twin-engine aircraft, the Dauphin 2.
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