SA 342 Gazelle, 1/48 - Heller 80486

Jointly developed by France and the United Kingdom in the 1960s, the Gazelle light multi-purpose helicopter made its maiden flight in 1967. It was first mass-produced at the start of the 1970s by Aérospatiale (France) in collaboration with Westland Helicopters (United Kingdom) and was available in two main versions, the SA 341 and the SA 342. Most of its production was intended for military use. The SA 341 F, produced for the French Army, was the first model to be equipped with HOT wire-guided missiles. The last military versions manufactured were the Astazou XIV turboshaft engine-driven SA 342 L1 and the SA 342 M, produced on behalf of French Army Light Aviation.