Arospatiale Gazelle Helicopter (PBR)

The Arospatiale Gazelle Helicopter is a five-seat multipurpose lightweight helicopter manufactured by Aerospatiale. It's commonly used for light transport, scouting and attack missions but can also serve as an instructional aircraft.

The Gazelle was initially developed as Project X 300 to meet French army requirements for a light observation helicopter. It introduced several innovations to the market, such as its fenestron tail rotor which significantly reduces noise levels and composite blades made of materials used in its construction.

Sud Aviation, later Aerospatiale, produced it under license to Westland Aircraft in the UK as the Westland Gazelle, SOKO in Yugoslavia and Arab British Helicopter Company (ABHCO) in Egypt. Today it remains in service with various armed forces around the world as well as private operators globally.

There are various variants of the Gazelle, such as civilian SA 341 and military SA 342, both available in both IFR and non-IFR versions. The civilian version has just one engine for training purposes while the military version features a single turbine, separate generator, and alternator.

JRX has done an outstanding job of recreating this iconic machine in X-Plane. The model is highly realistic, boasting a hydraulic interlocking system which means pilots don't need to actively hold their stick in order to achieve balance.

Realistic 3d-model.