| This page is about the French utility helicopter SA.341F Gazelle. For other versions, see Gazelle (Family). |
Development began in 1966 by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) on order from the French Army for a replacement for the Alouette II. Just a year later, the helicopter, designated SA.340, successfully completed its maiden flight in April 1967. The company continued development of the helicopter and, after some time, presented a new, improved model - the SA.341. One improvement was the replacement of the standard tail rotor with a closed "fenestron" tail rotor, integrated into the tail section of the helicopter.
SA.341 helicopters were adopted by the French Army in 1973. Specifically for this purpose, an armed modification, the SA.341F, was manufactured: the helicopter received an upgraded engine, as well as the ability to carry various weaponry, including a 20 mm cannon, HOT-2 ATGMs, and Mistral AAMs. A total of approximately 150 SA.341F helicopters were produced before the end of serial production in 1996, which were actively used by France in various military conflicts.
Introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On", the SA.341F Gazelle is a versatile helicopter that can perform different roles depending on the loadout. It can destroy tanks with ATGMs or rockets, or shoot down aircraft or helicopters with AAMs and cannon. It is light, fast, manoeuvrable, and small, allowing it to carry out swift and rapid attacks, as well as quickly evade ground fire. However, it relies on stealth and cover to avoid detection and enemy fire, as it has no radar warning receiver and limited armour.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - at sea level) |
Max altitude (metres) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | ||
| Stock | 285 | 268 | |
| Upgraded | 330 | 306 | |
Has no armour plating present on the vehicle, this helicopter is incredibly vulnerable to all types of fire. The exposed engine is also vulnerable to being damaged or set alight, dooming the helicopter if hit.
The SA.341F Gazelle is armed with:
The SA.341F Gazelle can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
This helicopter has three main playstyles, centred around the selected loadout.
Overall, you want to avoid direct line-of-sight to your enemies, as they likely can spot you faster than you can spot them, and engage you at longer range. Surface-to-air missiles are a serious threat, as they can take you by surprise, and you have no radar detector to warn you of their presence. The same applies to radar-guided anti-aircraft guns.
In Helicopter Battles [PvE] the Gazelle is notably better than either of the two preceding helicopters, finally unlocking AAMs with a greater range (5.5km) than 3/4km ATGMs. However, due to the limited armament (2 missiles), the Gazelle is limited to strafing ground targets and trying to lock onto enemy planes.
Notable Enemies:
Pros:
Cons:
The Aerospatiale SA.341 was developed to meet a French Army Light Aviation (ALAT) requirement for a new observation helicopter to replace the Alouette II. Aerospatiale designated the project as X 300, but the prototype's designation was SA.340.
The prototype first flew in 1967, and it seemed outwardly similar to the Alouette II. It did use the Astazou II powerplant and transmission system, but there were a number of differences. For one thing, it introduced a fully enclosed fuselage and a cockpit with seating and controls for two pilots rather than one (although it could be flown by only one). Also introduced on the SA.340 were the fenestron - a shrouded tail rotor - and the Bolkow-type main rotor.
The British became interested in the project as the SA.340 was nearing completion, so a joint development and production sharing agreement was signed on 22 February 1967; it was officially confirmed in 1968. The first prototype (SA.340.001) flew for the first time on 7 April 1967, and the second prototype first flew in April 1968.
Four pre-production aircraft, redesignated as the SA.341, were built next. The third pre-production SA.341 was built to British Army requirements and was then shipped to Britain for testing as the AH.Mk.1. Notably, the first pre-production SA.341 established three new speed records for helicopters of its class on 14 May 1970.
On 6 August 1971, the first French production SA.341 (SA.341.1001) was cleared for test flights. The production version had a longer fuselage, a larger tail, and a more powerful Astazou IIIA engine.
The SA.341F Gazelle was a French Military light support version of the SA.341 Gazelle, which had the improved Astazou IIIC engine. 166 were produced, and many were armed with a GIAT 20 mm M.621 cannon in a nose turret. They could be armed with rocket pods, Euromissile HOT anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), or Mistral air-to-air missiles (AAMs). A number of SA.341F Gazelles remain in service with the ALAT.
| Aérospatiale | |
|---|---|
| Utility | SA 313B Alouette II · SA 316B Alouette III · SA.341F Gazelle · SA.342M Gazelle |
| Export | ◄SA 313B Alouette II · HKP2 · SA.342L Gazelle |
| France helicopters | |
|---|---|
| Attack | ▄H-34 · EC-665 Tiger HAD · Tiger HAD Block 2 · EC-665 Tiger HAP |
| Utility | IAR 316B · SA 313B Alouette II · SA 316B Alouette III · SA.341F Gazelle · SA.342M Gazelle |