Alouette III
| SA 316 / SA 319 Alouette III | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| An Alouette III over Switzerland belonging to the Netherlands Air Force | |
| Role | Light utility helicopter |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer |
Sud Aviation Aérospatiale |
| First flight | 28 February 1959 |
| Introduction | 1960 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users |
French Armed Forces Rhodesian Air Force Indian Armed Forces |
| Produced | 1961-1985 (HAL Chetak still in production) |
| Number built | 2,000+ |
| Developed from | Aérospatiale Alouette II |
| Variants | IAR 316 |
Indian Armed Forces
Portuguese Air Force
South African Air Force(historical)
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 license by Hindustan Aeronautics in India as Hal Chetak, by Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania as IAR 316 and F+W Emmen () in Switzerland.
The Alouette III is the successor to the Alouette II, being larger and having more seating.
The first version of the Alouette III, the SE 3160 prototype, first flew on 28 February 1959. The SA 316A (SE 3160) entered production 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 license to build Alouette IIIs as the HAL Chetak in India. Over 300 units were produced by HAL as it continued to independently update and indigence the helicopter over the years, and a variant is still in production though in diminishing volumes. Versions of the Alouette III were also either license-built or assembles by IAR in Romania (as the IAR 316), F+W Emmen () in Switzerland, and by Fokker and Lichtwerk in the Netherlands.
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