New home for historic Alouette III

On 6 March, two Dutch aviation museums have reached an agreement on a historic Sud Aviation Alouette III helicopter. The helicopter concerned is former Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP, Portuguese Air Force) FAP 9378 (construction number 1820). According to a museum spokesman, this Alouette was acquired in Switzerland, but is disposed of, because it has no ties with the Netherlands.

The helicopter is currently part of the collection of the Alouette Museum Barneveld in the Netherlands, but has now been sold to the Deelen Museum on the grounds of Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force) Deelen airbase.

Owning an Alouette is especially important for the Deelen Museum as it was the homebase of the Dutch Alouette III fleet for more than thirty years. They were used by 298, 299 and 300 squadron. Later 299Sqn switched to the MBB Bo105 helicopter. The  Alouettes of 298Sqn moved to Soesterberg airbase and so 300Sq was the last operational Alouette squadron at Deelen. The Koninklijke Luchtmacht used a total of 77 Alouettes III, the first of which was delivered in 1964.

In the coming months the new machine for Deelen will be completed in the Alouette Museum Barneveld. At the Deelen Museum the Alouette will be placed as a monument. It will remind of the important role of this reliable helicopter not only in reconnaissance and transport but even more during international peacekeeping missions like those in Iraq, Cambodia, Croatia and Bosnia.

Photos: Alouette Museum Barneveld