SA 319B Alouette III French Light Utility Helicopter

SA 319B Alouette III Astazou Similar to SA316B except for its 870-shp Turbomeca Astazou XIV engine (derated to 600 shp), from which the name is derived. Some were outfitted for naval operations with the anticorrosion finish, folding main rotor, the ability to carry air-to-surface missiles, torpedoes, and a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD). The Aérospatiale Alouette III (French pronunciation: ​[alwɛt], Lark; company designations SA 316 and SA 319) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by the French aircraft company Sud-Aviation. During its production life, it proved to be a relatively popular rotorcraft; including multiple licensed manufacturers, in excess of 2,000 units were constructed. The Alouette III was developed as an enlarged derivative of the earlier and highly successful Alouette II. Sharing many elements with its predecessor while offering an extra pair of seats and other refinements, it quickly became a commercial success amongst both civil and military customers. Further variants were also developed; amongst these was a high-altitude derivative, designated as the SA 315B Lama, which entered operational service in July 1971. The Alouette III was principally manufactured by Aérospatiale; the type was also built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India as the HAL Chetak, by Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) in Romania as the IAR 316 and F+W Emmen in Switzerland. Similar to the Alouette II, in military service, it was used to perform missions such as aerial observation, photography, air-sea rescue, liaison, transport, and training; it could also be armed with anti-tank missiles, anti-shipping torpedoes, and a fixed cannon. In a civilian capacity, the Alouette III was commonly used for casualty evacuation (often fitted with a pair of external stretcher panniers), crop-spraying, personnel transportation, and carrying external loads. By the 2010s, many operators were in the process of drawing down their fleets and replacing them with more modern types; the French military intend to replace their Alouette IIIs with the newly developed Airbus Helicopters H160.