How fast is a gazelle helicopter

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The small fleet was used to develop anti-armour warfare tactics, Gazelles have also been frequently used to simulate hostile forces during military training exercises. The French Army have deployed the Gazelle overseas in many large-scale operations, often in support of international military intervention efforts; including in Chad in the s , [29] the former Yugoslavia s , Djibouti — , [30] Somalia , Cote d'Ivoire —present and Afghanistan —present.

In , upwards of 50 French Gazelles were deployed as part of France's contribution to coalition forces during the First Gulf War ; [31] during the subsequent military action, known as Operation Desert Storm , HOT-carrying Gazelles were employed by multiple nations, including Kuwait's air force, against Iraqi military forces occupying neighbouring Kuwait.

Gazelles have often been dispatched to support and protect UN international missions, such as the intervention in the Bosnian War. In April , witnesses reported up to six French Gazelles reportedly firing rockets upon Somali pirates during a major counter-piracy operation.

Military interventions in African nations, particularly former French colonies, have often been supported by Gazelles in both reconnaissance and attack roles; nations involved in previous engagements include Chad, Djibouti , Somalia, and the Cote d'Ivoire.

In April , as part of a UN-mandated campaign in Cote d'Ivoire, four Gazelle attack helicopters, accompanied by two Mil Mi gunships, opened fire upon the compound of rebel president Gbagbo to neutralise heavy weaponry, which led to his surrender.

During the Iran—Iraq War fought throughout most of the s, a significant amount of French-built military equipment was purchased by Iraq, including a fleet of 40 HOT-armed Gazelles. Syrian Gazelles were used extensively during the Lebanon War. In the face of a major Israeli ground advance, repetitive harassment attacks were launched by the Gazelles, which were able to slow their advance.

However, Gazelle strikes continued to be successfully performed up to the issuing of a ceasefire. The war served to highlight the importance and role of attack helicopters in future conflicts due to their performance on both sides of the conflict. Although they employed good Western-style 'pop-up' tactics, the Gazelles were not able to manage more than a few armor kills during the war".

Following the end of the war, Syria dramatically increased the size of its attack helicopter fleet from 16 to 50 Gazelles, complimented by a further 50 heavier Mil Mi gunships. During the First Gulf War, roughly 15 Gazelles were able to retreat into neighboring Saudi Arabia, along with other elements of Kuwait's armed forces, during the invasion of the nation by Iraq.

The Gazelle was used by the Ecuadoran Army during the Cenepa war between Ecuador and neighboring Peru, performing missions such close air support of ground forces and escorting other helicopters. During the Falklands War , the Gazelle played a valuable role operating from the flight decks of Royal Navy ships. A crash programme to rapidly provide the Gazelles with rocket pods for 68mm SNEB rockets was implemented specifically for the Falklands operation, and the fitting of various other optional equipment such as armour plating, flotation gear and a folding blade mechanism.

In British service, the Gazelle would see combat use in several different theatres; including during the Gulf War against Iraq and in the intervention in Kosovo. The type was also frequently used to perform airborne patrols in Northern Ireland. The Gazelles would see considerable use in the conflict that became known as the Rwandan Civil War , capable of strafing enemy positions as well as performing reconnaissance patrols of Northern Rwanda; in October , a single Gazelle destroyed a column of ten RPF units.

As part of a major international initiative formalised in to build up Arab military industries, Egypt commenced widescale efforts to replace arms imports with domestic production to provide military equipment to the rest of the Middle East, other Arab partner nations included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

According to reports in , large quantities of military equipment had been illicitly channeled from Egypt to South Africa via Israel; one such arms shipment is alleged to have included 50 Gazelle helicopters purchased from Egypt by Adnan Khasogghi , an international arms dealer, where they were shipped directly to Israel and then to South Africa, where they were likely used by the South African armed forces.

Military Wiki Explore. Popular pages. Project maintenance. Register Don't have an account? Edit source History Talk 0. October , pp. QinetiQ , Retrieved: 14 June French Ministry of Defense. Archived from the original on 29 July The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 January Deseret News , 7 March ACIG, 26 September Osprey Publishing, ISBN X.

Decision-making in Complex Environments. Whether its reducing response times in emergencies or effectiveness on the battlefield helicopter manufacturers continually push the boundaries of speed to showcase the capabilities of their latest and greatest aircraft.

Helicopters reaching these high speeds run into a phenomenon called the flow separation boundary, which is greater in twin-rotor designs.

Which is one reason why helicopter designs are becoming more elaborate with many manufacturers turning to hybrid designs to achieve stable higher speeds.

Read on to see which helicopters are pushing the boundaries in this new age for helicopter speed. Not technically a helicopter the V22 Osprey is the Transformer of the aviation world.

In just 12 seconds it can fully convert from an airplane into a helicopter. The ability to take-off, land and hover like a helicopter makes the V22 Osprey the most versatile modern hybrid aircraft. Whilst not technically a helicopter whilst travelling at its top speed of mph it was a helicopter when it took off and landed.

The Sikorsky X2 now holds the record for the fastest helicopter in the world. The helicopter first set the unofficial record in when a demonstrator model reached mph but since production has achieved faster speeds. The X2 has 2 rotors instead of one, is operated by one pilot and it quieter, with the ability to make sharper turns than a typical helicopter. The twin rotors and pusher propeller generate enough force to fly over 10, feet. The experimental high speed helicopter was designed by Eurocopter now Airbus Helicopters.

Image Credit: Bernd. The Westland Lynx has a top speed of mph, making it one of the fastest helicopters in the world. It was orignally developed for the British Army and Royal Navy. The helicopter was retired in January after 31 years of active service. The Lynx still held the official absolute speed record for rotorcraft throughout its entire service. Over were built and over the past 4 decades the Westland Lynx has participated in every major British Militiary operation around the globe and it retired as the undisputed champion of speed.