Aérospatiale Alouette II

The Aérospatiale Alouette II, company designations SE 313 and SA 318, is a French light helicopter built first by Sud Aviation and later by Aérospatiale. It was the first production helicopter driven by a gas turbine rather than a heavier piston engine, using a single Turbomeca Artouste turboshaft with an automatic governor that did away with a twist-grip throttle. The prototype SE 3130 flew on 12 March 1955 and the first production machine was completed in April 1956. It set helicopter altitude records, made the first helicopter mountain rescues and became the first helicopter armed with wire-guided anti-tank missiles. More than 1,300 were built before production ended in 1975, and many were still flying in the early 21st century.