former Yugoslavia in the 1990s (as well as
to Djibouti, Somalia in 1993 and the Cote
d’Ivoire from 2002 to the present day).
During Operation Desert Storm, HOT missile
carrying Gazelles were used against Iraqi
armour. More recently they were used in
Libya, under NATO, to support the Libyan
rebel uprising against Colonel Gadhafi’s
forces. However, the Gazelle is being
replaced in frontline duties by the Eurocopter
Tiger, though it will still see use in a light
transport and liaison role.
The British Westland Gazelle
and variants
The Westland Gazelle has seen service with
all the branches of the British armed forces
and been used in a variety of roles.
Four variants were purchased. The SA
341B variant was equipped to a specification
for the Army Air Corps. It was designated the
Gazelle AH (Army Helicopter) Mk1 and the
first aircraft entered service in 1973. It is this
version that has had the most varied roles.
They have been used as an air observation
post (AOP) for directing artillery fire, Airborne
Forward Air Controller (ABFAC) for directing
ground-attack aircraft, casualty evacuation,
liaison, command and control and for
communications relay.
The SA 341C was purchased by the Royal
Navy as a pilot trainer and designated the
HT 2. The RAF bought the SA 341D as the
HT3 training version. These were fitted with
the Astazou IIIN and also featured a stability
augmentation system and shermuly flare
installation. There’s also the SA 341E, used in
a communications role and for VIP transport.
These were designated Gazelle HCC4.
The Gazelle has been used in combat.
During the Falklands war in 1982 they were
fitted with machine guns and rocket pods, but
these were never used. This is the only time
that British Gazelles were armed! Three were
lost during the campaign: two due to ground
fire while the third was shot down by a Sea
Dart missile fired by HMS Cardiff!
They have seen action in Kuwait, Iraq
and Kosovo. In the Gulf War of 1991 they
operated as scouts for other attack platforms.
Throughout the troubles in Northern Ireland
they were used for air patrols and were a
familiar sight in the skies. They were also
used in a support role by 8 Flight, Army Air
Corps for 22 Special Air Service Regiment.
Gazelles flown by the Army Air Corps
were recently upgraded with a Direct Voice
Input (DVI) system which allows the aircrew
to control aircraft systems using voice
commands, and access information without
removing their hands from the flight controls
or their eyes from the outside world.
The Sharks
The Sharks were the Royal Navy’s helicopter
display team, flying Westland Gazelle HT 2
helicopters.
The team was formed in 1975 from 705
Naval Air Squadron, based at RNAS Culdrose,
Cornwall. This was the training squadron for
Royal Navy helicopter pilots. Made up of six
helicopters, all six pilots were instructors and
taught formation aerobatics. Painted red,
white and grey with a shark emblem on the
tail fin, they were equipped with orange and
green smoke canisters fitted to the skis. In
1977 there was a mid-air collision during a
practice flight, crashing two helicopters and
killing three pilots.
Now down to four Gazelles, 705 Squadron
fielded pairs for displays when the formal
team was not available. In later years they
were sponsored by Pussers Rum.
The Sharks performed not just in the UK
but also in some European countries. Each air
demonstration lasted around 12 minutes and
included opposition manoeuvres, bringing the
rotor blades to within 15ft of each other at
closing speeds of over 200mph.
In 1992, the Sharks team was disbanded
due to budgetary cuts but 705 NAS
continued to provide a pair of Gazelles,
simply known as the Gazelle Pair, right up to
1996 (when Gazelles were formally retired
from the Royal Navy).
Other variants
Perhaps the most readily available version
is the SA 341G. This is the commercial civil
version and powered by an Astazou IIIA
engine. They were certified for passenger
service on 7 June 1972 and subsequently
became the first helicopter to obtain US
approval for operations under IFR cat 1
conditions with a single pilot. There was also
a Stretched Gazelle developed, which had a
modified rear cabin to allow 20cm legroom
for the rear passengers.
The SA 341H, military export version,
was produced by SOKO in Yugoslavia and
powered by the Astazou IIIB engine.
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January 2012