Aérospatiale Alouette III

The Aérospatiale Alouette III ( French pronunciation: [alwɛt], Lark; company designations SA 316 and SA 319) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by French aircraft company Sud Aviation. Introduced in the early 1960s, more than 2,000 units were built during its production run that extended for six decades.

The Alouette III was developed as an enlarged derivative of the earlier successful Alouette II. It shared many design elements with its predecessor while offering an extra pair of seats and other refinements. It quickly became a commercial success and was operated by a range of civil and military customers. Further variants were also developed; amongst these was a high-altitude derivative, designated as the SA 315B Lama, which entered operational service during July 1971. The Alouette III was principally manufactured by Aérospatiale, after its take over of Sud Aviation in 1970. The type was also built by various licensed manufacturers such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India (as HAL Chetak), by Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania (as IAR 316), and by Eidgenössisches Flugzeugwerk in Switzerland (as F+W Emmen).