Aérospatiale SA 360 Dauphin

The Aérospatiale SA 360 Dauphin is a single-engine French utility helicopter that Aérospatiale developed in the early 1970s to replace its Alouette III and to fill a gap between the smaller Gazelle and the larger Puma in the six to ten seat class. It took the fenestron anti-torque rotor from the Gazelle and the main rotor system of the Alouette III. The first of two prototypes flew on 2 June 1972, and at the 1973 Paris Air Show it set three world speed records for helicopters in its weight class. Series production of the SA 360C began in 1974 and deliveries started in January 1976. Buyers saw a single engine as underpowered for the size, so Aérospatiale ended production after a short run and replaced it with the twin-engine Dauphin 2, later the AS365.