| SA 316 / SA 319 Alouette III | |
|---|---|
| An Alouette III of the 22S wing of the French Navy on the landing pad of Lanvéoc base | |
| Role | Light utility helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Sud Aviation Aérospatiale |
| First flight | 28 February 1959 |
| Introduction | 1960 |
| Status | Active |
| Primary users | French Armed Forces Indian Armed Forces South African Air Force (historical) Swiss Air Force (historical) |
| Produced | 1961-1985 |
| Number built | 2,000+ |
| Developed from | Aérospatiale Alouette II |
| Variants | Aérospatiale Gazelle |
The Aérospatiale Alouette III (French pronunciation: [alwɛt], Lark) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation. It was manufactured by Aérospatiale of France, and under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India as Hal Chetak and Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania.
The Alouette III is the successor to the Alouette II, being larger and having more seating
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The first version of the Alouette III, the SE 3160 prototype, first flew on 28 February 1959. Production of the SA 316A (SE 3160) began in 1961 and remained in production until 1968, when it was replaced by the SA 316B. The last and 1437th Alouette III left the Marignane assembly lines in 1979, when the main production line in France was closed down. The last Alouette III from Aérospatiale was delivered in 1985.
Over 500 units were manufactured under licence in Romania, India and Switzerland. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) obtained a licence to build Alouette IIIs as the HAL Chetak in India. Over 300 units were produced by HAL as it continued to independently update and indigenize the helicopter over the years, and a variant is still in production though in diminishing volumes. Versions of the Alouette III were also either licence-built or assembled by IAR in Romania (as the IAR 316), F+W Emmen in Switzerland, and by Fokker and Lichtwerk in the Netherlands.
Production numbers are as follows:
The Argentine Naval Aviation purchased 14 helicopters. One SA316B was on board the ARA General Belgrano when she was sunk by the HMS Conqueror's torpedoes during the Falklands (Islas Malvinas) War with Great Britain in 1982 and a second one played an important role during the Invasion of South Georgia. On 2 December 2010, the last example was retired at a ceremony held at BAN Comandante Espora, Bahía Blanca.[1][2]
From April 1964 to 1967, three machines were delivered from France for local assembly in Australia, and were used by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the Woomera Rocket Range for light passenger transport and recovery of missile parts after test launches at the Range.
The Alouette III entered in service with the French Armed forces in 1960, the French Army ordered 50 Alouette IIIs in June 1961.
In June 1960, an Alouette III carrying seven people made take-offs and landings on Mont Blanc in the French Alps at an altitude of 4,810 meters (15,780 feet), an unprecedented altitude for such activities by a helicopter.[3] The same helicopter again demonstrated the type's extraordinary performance in November 1960 by making take-offs and landings with a crew of two and a payload of 250 kg (551 lbs) in the Himalayas at an altitude of 6,004 meters (19,698 feet).[4]
In June 2004, the Alouette III was retired from the French Air Force after 32 years of successful service, being replaced by the Eurocopter EC 355 Ecureuil 2.
At Baldonnel on 21 September 2007 the Alouette III was retired from the Irish Air Corps. During 44 years of successful service, the Irish Alouette III fleet amassed over 77,000 flying hours. As well as routine military missions, the aircraft undertook some 1,717 search-and-rescue missions, saving 542 lives and flew a further 2,882 air ambulance flights. The oldest of the Alouettes, 195, is kept in 'rotors running' condition for the Air Corps Museum.[5]
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited built over 300 units of the helicopter under licence as the HAL Chetak. They were primarily in service with the Indian Armed Forces in training, transport, CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation), communications and liaison roles. The Chetak is being replaced by HAL Dhruv in the armed forces. An option to re-engine the HAL Chetak with the Turbomeca TM 333-2B engine for high-altitude operations in the Himalayas was considered, but not pursued.
In 1986 the Government constituted the Army's Aviation Corps and most Chetak operating in AOP Squadrons were transferred from the Air Force on 1 November 1986. The Air Force continues to fly armed Chetaks in the anti-tank role as well as for CASEVAC and general duties.
HAL also exported Chetak helicopters to Namibia and Suriname. India has also donated used Chetak helicopters to other countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal.
Pakistan purchased 35 Alouette III helicopters and used them in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, mainly for liaison and VIP-transport. Two Alouette IIIs of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were shot down during the war.[6]
The Alouette III saw service in the Portuguese Colonial War, during 1960s and 1970s with large utilization in Angola, Mozambique, and Portuguese Guinea, where it proved its qualities.
The Alouette III was originally purchased by the Rhodesians pre UDI. Later a large number of Alouette IIIs were covertly obtained from various sources to increase the capability of No. 7 Squadron and also to replenish the squadron for various losses suffered both by accidents and while on combat missions.
In the 1970s South African Air Force (SAAF) Alouette III helicopters were attached to No. 7 Squadron, Rhodesian Air Force. The Alouette III was also the choice of the South African Air Force which meant that training facilities and expertise could be shared. The Portuguese Air Force had also purchased Alouette IIIs.
For Fireforce missions a gunship version of the Alouette III was fitted with a Matra MG 151/20 20 mm cannon. The 'K-Car', as it was known, was operated usually with a crew of three, (pilot, gunner and fireforce commander). The 'K-Car' was used as a mobile command post to allow the army commander of the heli-borne troops to direct their operations from the air above them.
Ammunition for the 20mm Cannon was carried in a special bin in the left hand baggage compartment and fed to the cannon via a feed tray through the rear bulkhead. The spent brass was collected in a compartment below the cabin floor. The ammunition bin was supposed to be able to carry 440 rounds of 20mm ammuninition, but typically, only 400-410 rounds were loaded. The gunner in the 'K-Car' was also a technician and therefore he was not only the gunner, but also responsible for all the maintenance of his aircraft.
A Rhodesian Alouette III, 'K-Car' had the distinction of shooting down a Botswana Defence Force Islander on 9 August 1979 with its 20mm cannon.
The standard troop carrying/utility version of the Alouette III in the Rhodesian Air Froce were called 'G-Cars'. They were used by No. 7 Squadron for the troop transport, light air/ground fire support, SAR, casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) and a variety of other roles.
Rhodesian practice was to operate the 'G-Car' with a gunner/technician and to mount twin Mk 2 .303 Brownings machine guns, with about 400 rounds per gun. As with the 'K-Car', not only did the technician fly in combat and operate the aircraft's weapons, he was also responsible for all the maintenance of the helicopter too.
In the troop carrying role, a "Stick" of four soldiers was the standard load for the RhAF Alouette III. The seating configuration was two in the rear of the cabin, beside the gunner/technician and behind the pilot, with the "Stick commander" in the centre and his MAG gunner beside him. The other two riflemen were in the front on the rear-facing bench seat. Experience in combat led the Rhodesians to remove all but the pilot's door on the 'G-Car' and to reverse the front passengers to widen the available floorspace and gain flexibility. With the doors removed, it was easier for the soldiers to leave the helicopter quickly. Reversing the front seats opened up floor area and therefore more space for internal cargo was available. The standard Sud Aviation front seats in the 'G-Car' were replaced in the Rhodesian Air Force by a "home made" rear-facing bench seat. While carrying troops, casualties on a stretcher could be carried laterally across the rear of the cabin, one on the floor and another stretcher on a rack above it.
In September 1974 Rhodesian Air Force Alouette IIIs were fitted with anti-STRELA shrouds on the engines, the tail pipe was turned up to deflect the hot exhaust gasses into the rotor downwash and they were given matt paint finishes. This was done to reduce the Infra Red signature of the helicopter and proved to be highly successful for the type.
Several Alouettes were brought down by fire from the ground, but considering the intensity of operations, losses were surprisingly low. This was probably due to the highly skilled pilots' tactics of using ultra low level flying and terrain to keep out of the line of enemy fire.
At one stage, 27 SAAF helicopters were deployed in Rhodesia. Within No. 7 Squadron, the SAAF Alouettes were designated as belonging to Alpha Flight.
The Alouette III helicopter served for 44 years and flew more than 346.000 hours in the South African Air Force (SAAF). The official withdrawal of Alouette III in SAAF took place on 30 June 2006 at Swartkop in Pretoria.[7]
The SAAF received 118 Alouette III helicopters between 1962 and the late 1970s. They were used extensively throughout the Bush War.
In 2004, the Swiss Armed Forces announced the retirement of the Alouette III from front-line service by 2006 and entirely by 2010.
The Venezuelan Air Force retired its Alouette IIIs in the late 1990s.
When used as an aerial ambulance, the Alouette III can accommodate a pilot, two medical attendants and two stretcher patients.
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976-77 [68]
General characteristics
Performance
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