SE3160 / SA316 / SA319 Alouette III
Heller
Alouette III models in 1/72 scale
The French company Sud Est/ Sud Aviation developed in the 1950s a number of helicopters such as the Alouette III and larger Alouette III.
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Using experience and components of the Alouette II, the III got a larger cabin that could accommodate up to 6 and got a light metal tail boom. First flight was in February 1959. The Alouette III type designation was SE3160 and later at Aerospatiale SA316/319. The Alouette had several roles typical of light helicopters.
SAR KLu version / photo: Marcel Bouman (used with permission)
It initially had a Turbomeca Artouste 570 hp engine and later a Astazou of 870 hp.
Some data:
pilot, observer and seating for 4 passengers;
empty weight about 1140 kg, max weight 2200 kg;
main rotor diameter 11,02 m;
normal operating speed 185 km/hr.
Some license manufacturing took place at IAR in Romania, F+W Emmen in Switzerland and Fokker Lichtwerk in The Netherlands. The last Alouette III was delivered in 1985 from Aerospatiale. But the Alouette III remained to be built in license at Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) in India as the "Chetak". Over 2,000 Alouettes were manufactured and it was used in over 50 countries including military use by the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
photo: Marcel Bouman (used with permission)
KLu Grasshoppers team, now in a museum / photo: Meindert de Vreeze
I have seen the plastic parts in those kits in white, green, red, dark blue and light blue plastic!
The basic kit has about 55 parts and a choice of the 2 engine types.
Some new releases appeared like from 1989 with catalogue numbers like #80289. It had about 10 new parts and other decals. The extra parts were antennas, ski's and smaller bits.
For a rescue version with hoist, a small floor section had to be cut out with a razor saw.
In 2019 the same Heller mould was used in the released "new" Kovozavody Prostejov (KP) kit:
I will buy a few of these kits in the future.
For the Alouette III various after market sets were released like extra tropical filters, floats and many decalsets.
I had over 10 Heller kits in various boxes bought over the years. These kits will be made in the World Air Forces in Plastic series.
On to next [ Page 2.... ]
- Dutch Alouettes in "Dieners in nood", Violaero, 2014 (in Dutch language);
- KLu nu, Coen v.d Heuvel, Holkema, 1991 (in Dutch language)
IPMS NL Alouette III Walk around
IPMS NL Nedmil info Dutch Alouette III
Wikipedia general Alouette III info
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Created this page
February 9, 2021