AEROSPATIALE GAZELLE

With its graceful silhouette and shrill whistle, the Gazelle is a helicopter the sight of which has become familiar since its first flight more than fifty-five years ago. Designed as a simple observation device, it has been used well beyond this unique role, even becoming a real combat helicopter within many armed forces that have acquired it. In the Falklands, the Middle East, the Balkans and Africa, the Gazelle has taken part in most of the conflicts of the past four decades. Today, the career of the Gazelle in the front line is about to end among its military users, and it is now becoming a very popular collector's item: it is therefore time to retrace its history. This book tells the story of the Gazelle (from the first drafts to the end of mass production) and the technical developments it introduced into the world of rotary wings (in particular the famous "fenestron" ducted tail rotor). , offers a detailed description of the device before going around, as completely as possible, of all the countries that have used it within their armed forces or their state services, without forgetting to approach the career civil service of this aircraft which has become iconic.