Austrian Air Force Alouette III – Time to say goodbye!
Powerful, reliable, and versatile—these are the characteristics associated with the Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte (Austrian Air Force) Sud Aviation SA316B/SE3160 Alouette III. Countless missions, often in the high Alps terrain, have been undertaken to save lives and respond to severe weather disasters such as floods and forest fires, showcasing the versatility of this helicopter.
The Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) Alouette III was used by the Austrian Air Force from 1967 to 2024. A total of 24 of these multi-purpose helicopters were purchased from the French manufacturer Sud Aviation. With an output of 570 hp, a range of 400 kilometers, a maximum take-off weight of 2.200 kilograms, and a speed of 210 km/h, the Alouette formed the backbone of military "mountain aviation" during its 57 years of service.
In military applications, the Alouette proved itself in both domestic and foreign operations, such as serving as a liaison and reconnaissance helicopter during the security operation on the Austrian southern border in 1991, and in years of foreign operations as part of EUFOR/ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After more than half a century of flight operations, it was time to say goodbye and look forward to its successor.
On 24 May 2024, the Alouette III was ceremoniously retired with a Fly Out at its home base Aigen im Ennstal. The star of the show was Alouette III 3E-KC (c/n 1387), wearing a special colour scheme and commemorating the 198,000 flight hours achieved by this helicopter type. The formal Fly Out was attended by the Minister of Defence, Klaudia Tanner, the Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer) and numerous guests including US military and Leonardo Helicopters.
On 20 December 2021, the Austrian government signed a government-to-government (G2G) agreement with Italy for the purchase of eighteen Leonardo AW169M Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) to replace the fleet of Alouette III helicopters. Scramble Magazine reported earlier on this agreement in December 2021 and September 2020.
The purchase includes six AW169B training variants and twelve AW169MA advanced multirole variants with integrated mission equipment and weapon systems. The agreement also includes role equipment, aircraft ground equipment, spare parts, technical publications, technical support, basic and advanced training courses (the latter to be carried out in cooperation with the Italian Army), simulators, and an option for twelve more AW169MA helicopters and six AW169B variants.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the six AW169B will be beased at Tulln-Langenlebarn air base, the first six AW169MA at Aigen im Ennstal air base and the second group of six AW169MA will also be beased at Tulln-Langenlebarn.
Credit photos: Hans van Herk