Page 12 - World Airnews Magazine March 2021

FEATURE FEATURE

The Alouette III fleet has accumulated more than seven million

AFRICAN MILITARY flight hours as of the end of 2018. Today, nearly 180 aircraft still as many as 13 Pumas played crucial roles in the rescue efforts,

winching 219 survivors to safety during bad weather conditions.

continue to be in service.

• Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma

HELICOPTER TYPES • Aérospatiale Alouette II

gunship, and reconnaissance platform.
 Range: 608 km
t’s hard to believe that helicopters have been around for nearly  Top speed: 250 km/h
I80 years. Ever since the end of the second World War these  Cruise speed: 225 km/h

aircraft have progressed, developed and morphed into vehicles  Weight: 6 990 kg
that some say will carry us into the future.  Variants: Mil Mi-8T/Mi-17

For the purposes of this article World Airnews has chosen to fo- • The Mi-24
cus on military types - those that are used to transport troops and The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter

attack enemy troops using weapons. and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight pas-

And although from a global perspective military helicopters - sengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined

really came to their own in the early 50s - we further sharpen our has been operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force and its The Aérospatiale Alouette II is a French light helicopter origi- medium transport/utility helicopter. The Puma was originally

focus to those types most prevalent on the continent of Africa. successors, along with 48 other nations. nally manufactured by Sud Aviation and later Aérospatiale. It built by Sud Aviation of France, and continued to be made by

The main role of a military helicopter is to carry troops and  Top speed: 335 km/h was the first production helicopter powered by a gas turbine Aérospatiale.

for the use a range of weapons such as machine guns, rockets,  Range: 450 km engine instead of the heavier conventional piston powerplant.  Top speed: 257 km/h

anti-tank missiles, air to air missiles to attack enemy forces on the  Weight: 8 500 kg On 12 March 1955, the prototype SE 3130 performed its  Range: 780 km
maiden flight.

ground. • The Mi-17  Weight: 3 766 kg
So it is logical that we highlight, range, top speed and weight.  Top speed: 185 km/h • Atlas Oryx

From a general historical context it is important to remember  Range: 565 km The Atlas Oryx is a medium-sized utility helicopter manufactured

that many east, west and central African countries achieved  Length: 9,66 m by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation of South Africa.
independence from colonial rule in the 1960s and 1970s inheriting  Weight: 895 kg  Top speed: 306 km/h

small sized fleets.  Range: 2 000 km

These countries include the likes of Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, • Aerospatiale Alouette III

Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe • MD 530FS

A bit later on during the 1980s and - until today - and further
south, countries like Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) and South Africa
fought protracted bush wars where the legends of the skies the
Rooivalk and Oryx dominated.
Today across Africa it is hard to find a modern, up to date, air

force fleet. Instead numbers have been reduced, types reflect the
hard-wearing long lasting kind. In the 2020s defence budgets have

been cut, spare parts are hard to find and these ‘workhorses of the
sky’ – apart from being used in battle – have been sent on search The Mil Mi-17 was a Soviet and current Russian military

and rescue or humanitarian missions. helicopter in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-
Please note that there are many types not listed here and this Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service. The
feature highlights only some of the better known types. It is not all helicopter is mostly used as medium twin-turbine transport

encompassing and presented here as a summary. helicopter, as well as an armed gunship version.
FROM RUSSIA  Top speed: 250 km/h The Aérospatiale Alouette III is a single-engine, light utility he- Powered by the Rolls-Royce 250-C30 650shp turbine engine,

 Range: 495 km

these aircraft feature an all-digital glass cockpit with tinted

• The Mi-8  Wingspan: 21 m licopter developed by French aircraft company Sud Aviation. windows, ballistically tolerant crashworthy fuel system, FN

During its production life, it proved to be a relatively popular
 Weight: 7 489 kg rotorcraft; including multiple licensed manufacturers, in Herstal Weapons Management System, DillonAero Mission

FROM THE FRENCH excess of 2,000 units were constructed. Configurable Armament System (MCAS), 62 mm ballistic
armour protection, FN Herstal .50 calibre HMP 400 Machine

The Alouette 11s and 111s helicopter types have flown across  Top speed: 210 km/h Gun Pods and M260 7-shot rocket pods.

southern African skies for more than half a century. It is a well-  Range: 540 km MD 530F Cayuse Warrior is an armed variant of the OH-6

known utilitarian machine that is highly durable. Developed by the  Length: 10 m Cayuse light observation helicopter built by MD Helicopters.

French in the 1950s it debuted in Rhodesia in early 1960s but was PUMAS It is designed to enhance scout attack, armed escort and close

officially retired in 2007. air attack capabilities of the air forces.
It was used in the Angolan bush ward and Zimbabwe used them From 1972 onwards, Pumas operated by the SAAF were deployed  Top Speed 134 kt

in the Democratic Republic of Congo war during 1998 and 2003. A on extended operations in Namibia and Angola during the Border  Range 260 nautical miles

number were shot down or written off as the arms embargo made War. The majority of South African Puma purchases, including  Weight 1 520kgs (int)

spares hard to come by. spare parts, were made in advance of an anticipated United

The South African Air Force used Alouettes IIIs from 1962 to 2007 Nations embargo that was applied in 1977. South Africa subse- • AugustaWestland AW139

before they were withdrawn and replaced by the AgustaWestland quently upgraded many of its Pumas, eventually arriving at the The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium-sized

derived indigenous Atlas Oryx - a utility transport helicopter.
A109 light utility helicopter, although some are kept in airworthy twin-engined helicopter developed and built by AgustaWest-

condition by the South African Air force museum. In December 1979, South Africa's government acknowledged the land.

In 2019 February this high altitude helicopter celebrated 6o years presence of its military forces operating in Zimbabwe; Pumas were  Range: 1 250 km

routinely used in support of the South African Army's ground forces.

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally and marked the occasion during a demonstration tour in Africa, During the 1990s, clandestine efforts to purchase surplus SAAF  Top speed: 310 km/h

designed by the Soviet Union, and now produced by Russia. when the Alouette III landed on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro Pumas were made by then-President Pascal Lissouba of the Re-  Weight: 3 622 kg
In addition to its most common role as a transport helicopter, and then on the summit of Mount Kenya, 5,500 m above sea level, public of Congo, most likely intended for use in the Congolese Civil

the Mi-8 is also used as an airborne command post, armed a few days later. War. When MTS Oceanos sank off the coast of South Africa in 1991,

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