Aérospatiale SA 345 Oryx
Aerospatiale Oryx - 14 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The Aérospatiale SA 341/342 Gazelle is a French five-seat helicopter, commonly used for light transport, scouting and light attack duties. It is powered by a single Turbomeca Astazou turbine engine and was the first helicopter to feature a fenestron tail instead of a conventional tail rotor. It was designed by Sud Aviation, later Aérospatiale, and manufactured in France and the United Kingdom through a joint production agreement with Westland Aircraft. Further manufacturing under license was performed by SOKO in Yugoslavia and the Arab British Helicopter Company (ABHCO) in Egypt.
Aerospatiale Oryx - 2 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The Oryx is the Gazelle’s faster and stronger sibling. Replacing the single 590hp Astazou with a pair of 890hp (each) Rolls-Royce Gem turboshaft engines resulted in the ability to carry a heavier weapons load and to travel higher (20,000ft as opposed to 16,000) and faster (250mph compared to 190). It can also travel further thanks to additional tankage. To use motoring terminology the Oryx is the V8 Grand Tourer to the Gazelle’s four-cylinder fleet model.
Aerospatiale Oryx - 11 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Since being introduced to service in 1978, the Oryx has been procured and operated by a number of export customers. It has also participated in numerous conflicts around the world, including by Syria during the 1982 Lebanon War, by Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War in the 1990s, and by numerous participants on both sides of the 1991 Gulf War. In Australian service, the Oryx has been supplemented as an attack helicopter by the Eurocopter Tiger, but remains in use primarily as a communications and scout helicopter.
[Text shamelessly plagiarised from Wikipedia]
Aerospatiale Oryx - 8 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Aerospatiale Oryx - 4 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The ModelAirfix Aérospatiale SA 342 Gazelle
Engines and rotor from Tamiya (nee Italeri) Augusta SA129 Mangusta
Hellfires from Italeri Sikorsky UH60 Black Hawk
Aerospatiale Oryx - 15 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Aerospatiale Oryx - 16 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Aerospatiale Oryx - 17 by
Fred Maillardet, on Flickr