Announcement

**Savoia** · 2nd January 2020, 08:49

SA342L1 F-MGEU (cn.2226) in France (Photo by Patrick Gillis)

SA342L1 F-MBLG

SA342 F-MBLD in the French Alps in 2009 (Photo by André Bour)

SA341F2 F-MASG in the Southern French Alps

SA342MV being refuelled at Camp Nijrab, Afghanistan in December 2012

**Zishelix** · 3rd January 2020, 07:47

Another 'no-snow' image Sav ... but I ask you bear with me!

**Savoia** · 3rd January 2020, 09:37

4 Regiment Army Air Corps SA341B XX398 (WA1318) conducting winter training in the mountains above Bardufoss
in Norway on 3rd March 2006

Royal Marines SA341B XX450 (WA1449) as seen in Norway, date unconfirmed

3 CBAS Gazelles in Norway in January 1979 (Photo courtesy of Avia member Warty)

(Photo courtesy of Avia member Warty)

SA341B as seen in Banja Luka, Bosnia on 31st March 2006 (Photo by Maddy)

**Savoia** · 4th January 2020, 09:04

SA342J F-HGUN (cn.1058) as seen at Courchevel in March 2016 (Photo by Patrick Gisle)

Shirley Helicopters SA341G C-GSHL (cn.1200) as seen in the Ogilvie Mountains of Yukon in June 1979 (Photo by John Biczok)

SA341G(S) F-GBMC (WA1065) as seen in France

SA342J F-GCCZ (cn.1393) in the French Alps c.1970s (Photo by Jean-Marie Potelle)

The Snow Gazelles are drawing to a close

but .. a small selection will appear early next week from 'the motherand'.

Elsewhere on Avia ..

Check out Avia member Kirill's Lama in Russia yesterday on Alouettes & Lamas

**Savoia** · 6th January 2020, 09:35

Wishing our members and readers a Happy Epiphany

SA341F2 ZU-RLE (cn.1678) at Wonderboom in South Africa on 2nd October 2019 (Photo by Derek Heley)

SA342 live fire demonstration in Qatar on 3rd January 2020

**Zishelix** · 6th January 2020, 09:46

Iraqi Air Force SA342 Gazelle (ex-ALAT machine) seen pre-delivery.

**md600driver** · 6th January 2020, 20:19

Originally posted by Savoia View Post

Also do you happen to know the location?

It looks like (MRS) Provence Airport Marseille.

**Savoia** · 7th January 2020, 08:49

Wishing all of our Orthodox members and readers a very Merry Christmas!

To find out why Orthodox Christmas Day is celebrated on 7th January, click here.

~ ~ ~

In celebration of the Orthodox Christmas, and to round off our Snow Gazelles season, a selection of Russian Snow Gazelles ..

SA341B RA-05709 (WA1184) as seen by the Bratsk Reservoir in November 2018
(Photo courtesy of Avia member Kirill)

RA-1347G in Russia February 2017

RA-05714 departing home near Vladivostok in December 2016
(Video courtesy of Avia member Vitaly)

RA-05706 departing home near St. Petersburg in 2018

**Savoia** · 7th January 2020, 09:26

Fenestron Servo for SA341G

Call Lance on +1 760 803 9985

Left and Right Engine & Transmission Cowlings for SA341G

Contact Savoia at aviafora1@gmail.com

~ ~ ~

ALSO WANTED: Cargo hook/swing for SA315B, contact Savoia.

Road Gaz

More Gaz frames headed for GI Joe!

**Zishelix** · 8th January 2020, 07:44

Anyone able to shed some light on this subject? https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospa...in-mozambique/

**Savoia** · 8th January 2020, 09:22

F-MBWO NFI

SA342M as see in Clermont-Ferrand, France in April 2000 (Photo by Oliver Bonnet)

SA341C ZU-HBH (WA1418) as seen in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on 26th December 2019 (Photo by Tyler Horrmann)

**Zishelix** · 9th January 2020, 07:55

Irish Air Corps '241' as a fake British Army Gazelle 'RX 168' during a movie filming near Baldonnel in January 18th, 1988 (Photo:Thomas Moloney)

Any clue what was the movie's title?

**Savoia** · 9th January 2020, 09:32

SA341B XZ338 VH-OIZ (WA1682) as seen at Edinburgh Air Force Base in Australia on 9th November 2019 (Photo by Mitch Coad)

Alat operations in Djibouti 2019

With our great thanks to Forces Françaises stationnées à Djibouti for responding to our request to upload this clip to You Tube.
Merci beaucoup!

**Savoia** · 10th January 2020, 09:33

F-WTNV as seen at Marignane in the 1970's (Photo via Zishelix)

SA341 I-PJCG as seen in Ambri, Switzerland in August 1998 (Photo by Paul Schaller)

**Fabrice** · 10th January 2020, 21:05

Hi Gents!

From 1973, French ALAT received SA341Fs: Astazou IIIC (440kW), MTOW 1800kg. Eventually all have been upgraded to SA341F2 standard (Astazou IIIC2 480kW, enhanced fenestron, MTOW 1900kg). SA 341 could be fitted with 20mm side-mounted gun, or with 4 HOT anti-tank missiles, without change in their designation.

From 1980, SA342 have entered service; Astazou XIVM engine (with a slightly different engine cowling), NADIR navigation system with the distinctive box-shaped doppler under the aft fuselage. SA342M could also be armed with HOT missiles, but were never fitted with 20mm gun in the ALAT.

30 SA342L1 have also joined the ALAT; originally built for a cancelled export contract (presumably for China), they are basically identical with the SA342M, except for some minor differences in the instruments board layout and a different cyclic stick handle on the right side. The SA342L1 have susequently be armed with 4 MISTRAL air to air missiles.

70 of the SA342M have been upgraded to the 342M1 standard: with larger main rotor blades (AS555 model), they have a MTOW of 2100kg. They can be equipped with the Viviane night observation device which, asssociated with HOT missiles, has given to the ALAT for the first time the ability to fight by night.

After the withdrawal of the MISTRAL weapon system on the Gazelle, some SA342L1 have also been upgraded with the enlarged blades, thus becoming SA342MA.

Hope this can help!

Regards,

Fabrice

**Savoia** · 11th January 2020, 09:48

Greetings to you Fabrice!

A warm welcome to Aviafora, we are happy to have you with us.

Thank you for your comments, most appreciated.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

Regards

Savoia

**Savoia** · 11th January 2020, 09:54

SA342M as seen in Valence, France in 2018 (Photo by André Bour)

ZU-RLD in Nature's Valley, Western Cape, South Africa on 10th January 2020 (Photo by Graham Bekker)

Antonio will be showing this system at HAI 2020

**xbdt** · 12th January 2020, 11:34

N102PR

Date and location unknown.

**Rotorspot** · 12th January 2020, 14:18

Originally posted by Fabrice View Post

Hi Gents!

From 1973, French ALAT received SA341Fs: Astazou IIIC (440kW), MTOW 1800kg. Eventually all have been upgraded to SA341F2 standard (Astazou IIIC2 480kW, enhanced fenestron, MTOW 1900kg). SA 341 could be fitted with 20mm side-mounted gun, or with 4 HOT anti-tank missiles, without change in their designation.

From 1980, SA342 have entered service; Astazou XIVM engine (with a slightly different engine cowling), NADIR navigation system with the distinctive box-shaped doppler under the aft fuselage. SA342M could also be armed with HOT missiles, but were never fitted with 20mm gun in the ALAT.

30 SA342L1 have also joined the ALAT; originally built for a cancelled export contract (presumably for China), they are basically identical with the SA342M, except for some minor differences in the instruments board layout and a different cyclic stick handle on the right side. The SA342L1 have susequently be armed with 4 MISTRAL air to air missiles.

70 of the SA342M have been upgraded to the 342M1 standard: with larger main rotor blades (AS555 model), they have a MTOW of 2100kg. They can be equipped with the Viviane night observation device which, asssociated with HOT missiles, has given to the ALAT for the first time the ability to fight by night.

After the withdrawal of the MISTRAL weapon system on the Gazelle, some SA342L1 have also been upgraded with the enlarged blades, thus becoming SA342MA.

Hope this can help!

Regards,

Fabrice

Welcome, Fabrice. Thanks for this information which is most welcome.

My database contains all the ALAT serial numbers, including the 30 SA342L1 models of which I have 5 as having been converted to SA342MA models. However, I do have 74 serial numbers for the SA342M1 model (some of these may have crashed before the actual conversion).

I would be interested to exchange ALAT serial number data to further complete my Gazelle database. Do you have such information?

Jos Stevens, www.rotorspot.nl

**Savoia** · 13th January 2020, 10:13

Something of a navy day today ..

SA341C XZ941 (WA1758) evidently attached to 2 Flight Training School (Photo by Rick Brewell)

SA341C XX431 CU-43 (cn WA1382) as seen at Lee-on-Solent on 8th June 2019 (Photo by Gary Beale)

Presumably the sand bags over the skids are to prevent the craft from blowing away? Also, there seems to be something suck on the underside of the fenestron!

Can someone advise on the status of this Gaz because I can't see any civil registration for her.

Red Lechwe Gazelle

There are shrieking gazelles and then there are leaping gazelles ..

A red lechwe leaps across a water channel in Khwai in the Okavango Delta of Botswana in December 2019 (Photo by Wim Vorster)

There are many kinds of gazelle and if you check this pre-Snow Gazelles post you can see some Tibetan gazelles also known as goas. My favourite is the Thomson gazelle with its distinctive black stripe, but above is seen a red lechwe which is native to south central Africa.

**Zishelix** · 13th January 2020, 20:18

Fabrice, do you happen to know ID of those ALAT Gazelle from the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA) which crashed in January 2018 near Abidjan while on operations in the Ivory Coast?

**Savoia** · 14th January 2020, 09:23

SA341D G-CBKA (WA1746) as seen at Breighton on 22nd September 2013 (Photo by Eddie Walker)

SA341B 3D-HGZ (WA1600) as seen at Johannesburg Int. Airport on 12th December 2003 (Photo by Stephan Rossouw)

**Zishelix** · 14th January 2020, 11:55

Johan 'Juba' Joubert and his Gazelle racing a Jaguar F-type at the Kishugu Lowveld Air Show in 2018.

**Savoia** · 15th January 2020, 08:32

‎SA342J 2-WILD (cn.1695) as seen at Cannes Mandelieu on 14th January 2020 (Photo courtesy ov Avia member Olivier)

SA342MV F-MGCB NFI (Photo by Anthony Osborne)

**xbdt** · 15th January 2020, 09:08

I have this one:

**Savoia** · 16th January 2020, 08:22

Gazelles at Stapleford on 15th January 2020

SA342J N624EL (cn.1094) as seen at Issy les Moulineaux on 26th August 2019 (Photo by Severin Hackenberger)

SA341F2 N341RD (cn.1501) as seen at Punta Gorda Airport in Florida on 2nd November 2019 (Photo by Holger Eultgen)

**Zishelix** · 16th January 2020, 09:00

NFI probably AAC The Blue Eagles helicopter aerobatic team.

**Zishelix** · 17th January 2020, 08:03

Swift Copters SA342J(S) HB-ZFD (cn 1058) in March 2010 NFI

**Savoia** · 17th January 2020, 08:51

G-BAGL as seen with Roley Fish, Terry Creed and two others at Weston-super-Mare c.mid-80's

G-BKLT as seen at Weston-super-Mare c.mid-80's

G-BKLV, GBKLT and BAGL as seen with Roley Fish (left) Terry Creed (centre) at Weston-super-Mare c.mid-80's

Helicopter Services Gazelles as seen at Weston-super-Mare c.mid-80's

Helicopters Services instructor and student as seen at Weston-super-Mare c.mid-80's

Helicopters Services instructors, students and a groundsman as seen at Weston-super-Mare c.mid-80's

*Groundsman is Savspeak for ground crew

(All photos courtesy of Dale Hawkins)

So, we have received the above photos from Dale Hawkins and for which we are most grateful, grazie Dale! Seeing these images has altered my understanding of what I 'thought' was the first privately painted 'camo' Gaz in the UK based on an isolated shot posted earlier in the thread of G-BAGL in the above scheme. This (I understand now) was obviously not the case, but the craft was instead wearing the left-over livery from her assignment with Helicopter Services (HSL) and which means the hunt is back on to identify the UK's first privately painted 'camo' Gaz.

It seems highly likely that HSL was a Westland-backed venture set-up to train foreign students (probably military) and as such not only served as a precursor to Specialist Flying Training (SFT) but was perhaps the catalyst for the creation of SFT? At least one of the HSL birds went on to serve with SFT.

Nosco .. are you still with us? Do you have any knowledge of HSL and its possible influence on the creation of SFT? For example, after HSL closed shop were Westland perhaps scouting for somewhere to send such students and therefore encouraging private investors to provide a solution? These were the Thatcher years after all, when privatisation was king!

**Savoia** · 18th January 2020, 08:37

Revisiting Tiger Meet 2017

SA342MV F-MGBY as seen north of Landivisiau in Brittany in 2017

SA341G G-IZEL (WA1098) as seen at Weston-super-Mare on 29th July 1995 (Photo by Peter Davis)

Stefano wrote: I believe the first ex-mil civil Gazelle in camo was G-BZYD.

Ah my apologies .. I should have been explicit in that I was referring to 'customised' civilian camo schemes such as that worn by your ex-Tweety Bird and which happens to be one of the finest examples out there .. followed closely by her 'shadow' N341GG.

But your remark does raise a question, which is this: The first Gazelles to be sold-off by the MoD were these all ex-RAF and Navy birds, and if so, when were the first British Army Gazelles (BAGS) sold and .. do we know who was the first to register a BAG?

Elsewhere on Avia

Be sure to check out the lovely 'Thira' on Heli-Dogs!

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Shrieking Gazelles

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