The Aerospatiale/Westland Gazelle is one of the longest serving and most
successful reconnaissance and light attack elicopters. The Gazelle soon
made an impression with its high speed, smooth looks and design
innovations such as the Fenestron ducted tail rotor and composite main
rotor blades. In this readable book, aviation expert David Oliver tells
the full story of the development of the Gazelle as well as its various
air force, military and naval roles and deployments. Once Westland had
joined the French helicopter project, the Gazelle was soon adopted as a
trainer by the RAF, as a battlefield reconnaissance and attack
helicopter by the Army Air Corps and Royal Marines and as a training
helicopter by the Royal Navy. It carried out similar roles in the French
armed forces and those of other nations. As this book shows, armed
variants of the Gazelle have taken part in conflicts in the Falklands,
Northern Ireland, Lebanon, the Gulf War, former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Mali
and Syria. It has also been adapted for civilian roles. As a testament
to its success, Gazelle helicopters will continue in service with the
British and French armed forces beyond 2020. Illustrated with lavish
colour photographs, this book is an essential guide to one of the
world's most successful military and civilian helicopters.
