The Aérospatiale Alouette III (3) developed in France is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation, later merged into Aérospatiale. The first version of the Alouette III, the SE 3160 prototype, first flew on 28 February 1959. Production of the SA 316A (SE 3160) began in 1961 and remained in production until 1968, when it was replaced by the SA 316B. The last and 1437th Alouette III left the Marignane assembly lines in 1979, when the main production line in France was closed down. The last Alouette III from Aérospatiale was delivered in 1985. Many were manufactured under licence in Romania, India and Switzerland. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) obtained a licence to build Alouette IIIs as the HAL Chetak in India. Over 300 units were produced by HAL as it continued to independently update and indigenize the helicopter over the years, and a variant is still in production though in diminishing volumes. Versions of the Alouette III were also either licence-built or assembled by IAR in Romania (as the IAR 316), F+W Emmen in Switzerland, and by Fokker and Lichtwerk in the Netherlands. The type proved to be very reliable.
Alouette III Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu)
Royal Netherlands Air Force, Code A-275 , serial 1275, put into service 1965.
This SE 3160 helicopter was used for light transport tasks and the few still remaining (like this one) are used for VIP transport, like the Dutch Queen. This helicopter was photographed during a visit to Texel airfield.
Photographed July 2007 by Cees Hendriks (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
View the gallery with more than 40 pictures......
Here another blue Alouette III is seen (reg. 1301) at Texel:
Alouette III Koninklijke Luchtmacht
Here an older photo series is seen of Royal Netherlands Air Force Alouettes SE 3160.
Photographed ninteen eighties by Marcel Bouman (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
Here the "RESCUE" version is seen. It had inflatable bags and a section of the lower fuselage was removed to enable hoisting.
Alouette III Koninklijke Luchtmacht
Several older photo's taken in the seventies and eighties are presented here of Alouette III helicopters of the RNLAF.
Photographed by / collection Fred Bachofner (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
Here a general selection, (that includes a first "grasshopper" scheme with the stripes seen at Brasschaat") :
and another selection....
The "RESCUE" version:
and the later "Grasshopper" helicopters in the red-white-blue scheme:
Alouette III Danmark
This Danish Alouette III has floats. It is located at Castle Egeskov, about 30km south of Odense, Danmark.
Photographed August 2012 by Peter Booij (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
Alouette III / SA.316 Schweiz
This Swiss Alouette III s/n 123/1069 manufactured in 1973 has Swiss no. V-247 and is one of the some 80 operated by the Swiss Air Force. The helicopter has a snow gear fitted. Seen inside the Hubschraubermuseum in Bückeburg, Germany.
Photographed Summer 2018 by Meindert de Vreeze (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
A small number of plastic scale models exist, like the old 1/72 Heller kit and the 1/50 Heller kit, as well as the 1/48 Fujimi kit. A very rare display model has also been seen in 1/32.
Enthusiasts, modellers and historians may look at details here of the Alouette III in Royal Netherlands AF service....
This walkaround page was first created January 2012