Aerospatiale Gazelle
The Gazelle was the first production helicopter to use a fenestron shrouded tail rotor instead of an exposed one, a feature that reduces noise and the risk of tail-rotor strikes on the ground. Powered by a single Turbomeca Astazou turboshaft, it entered French Army service in 1973 and was built in over 1,700 examples, including an anti-tank version, the SA 342M, armed with HOT missiles. British-built Westland Gazelles and Yugoslav SOKO-built examples extended its reach beyond France. It saw combat in the Falklands, Chad and the Gulf War.
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Did you know?
One of the first helicopters with a fenestron tail rotor, the Gazelle set the template Airbus Helicopters still builds on today.
Specifications
| Length | 9.5 m (31 ft) |
|---|---|
| Height | 3.2 m (10 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 10.5 m (34 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 4 |
| Persons on board | 5 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 1.8 t |
| Range | 361 NM (669 km) |
| Service ceiling | 16,400 ft (4,999 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 8,000 ft (2,438 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,770 ft/min (9 m/s) |
| Fuel capacity | 730 l |
| Engines | 1x Turbomeca Astazou |
| Units built | 1,700 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Aerospatiale Gazelle starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Aerospatiale, the Gazelle family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
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