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Irish Military Helicopters
   
Sud Aviation SA.316B Alouette III, serial 195, c/n 1151, delivered as a new SE.3160 on 25 November 1963, converted to SA.316B. Serves with the Army Support Squadron, No.3 Support Wing at Baldonnell, and deployed to Monaghan Camp (Co. Monaghan) and Finner Camp (Co. Donegal) for border patrol at times, also to Waterford for SAR duties at various times. Used for "aid to the civil power", VFR SAR operations, MedEvac, government transport duties, etc.
Photo by Pierre Gillard of the Alouette and Lama website, Baldonnell, June 2001.
   
Sud Aviation SA.316B Alouette III, serial 196, c/n 1153, delivered as a new SE.3160 on 25 November 1963, converted to SA.316B, believed wfu at Baldonnell 2001. Served with the Army Support Squadron, No.3 Support Wing at Baldonnell, and deployed to Finner, Monaghan, and Waterford at times.
Photo by Jacob Struben, Baldonnell, 18 June 2000.
   

Sud Aviation SA.316B Alouette III, serial 197, c/n 1194, delivered as a new SE.3160 on 13 May 1964, converted to SA.316B. Serves with the Army Support Squadron, No.3 Support Wing at Baldonnell.
Photo by Jacob Struben, Baldonnell, 23 July 1996.
   

SNIAS SA.316B Alouette III, serial 202, c/n 1973, delivered 24 March 1972, newly built. Believed written off after a heavy landing in shallow water [date, circumstances?].
Photo by Frank Grealish, Baldonnell, summer 1997.
   


SNIAS SA.316B Alouette III, serial 211, c/n 1983, delivered 4 February 1973, newly built. Serves with the Army Support Squadron, No.3 Support Wing at Baldonnell.
Top photo by Jacob Struben, Baldonnell, 23 July 1996, Bottom photo by George Norman, Baldonnell, 17 June 2000.
   
SNIAS SA.316B Alouette III, serial 212, c/n 1984, delivered 29 March 1973, newly built. Serves with the Army Support Squadron, No.3 Support Wing at Baldonnell.
Photo by Jacob Struben, Baldonnell, 23 July 1996.
   
SNIAS SA.316B Alouette III, serial 213, c/n 2116, delivered 6 December 1973, newly built. Serves with the Army Support Squadron, No.3 Support Wing at Baldonnell.
Photo by Frank Grealish, Baldonnell, summer 1997.
   
SNIAS SA.316B Alouette III, serial 214, c/n 2122, delivered 25 March 1974, newly built. Served with the Army Support Squadron, No.3 Support Wing at Baldonnell. Believed wfu at Baldonnell.
Photo taken at Weston, 1992.
   


SNIAS SA.342L Gazelle, serial 237, c/n 1772, delivered 30 December 1979, newly built. Served with Helicopter School Squadron, No. 3 Support Wing as an advanced helicopter crew trainer until damaged in an accident on 16 August 2002. The Gazelle suffered engine failure during low-level flight and made a controlled descent into a field near Baldonnell. The crew were fortunately not injured. A photo showing the damage done to the cockpit, cabin, main rotor, and tail was published on the internet, and it is thought that 237 will not be repaired.
Top photo by Jacob Struben, Baldonnell, 23 July 1996, Bottom photo by George Norman, Baldonnell, 17 June 2000.
   
SNIAS SA.342L Gazelle, serial 241, c/n 1854, delivered 14 January 1981, newly built. Serves with Helicopter School Squadron, No. 3 Support Wing as an advanced helicopter crew trainer, but is reported wfu as a spares source for 237 before its accident on 16 August 2002.
Photo by Frank Grealish, Baldonnell, summer 1995.
   
SNIAS SA.330L Puma, serial 242, c/n 1240, delivered on lease from manufacturers 21 July 1981, ex Ethiopean Air Force serial 850, F-WRQK, F-BRQK. Served with the Advanced Flying Training School. While with the IAC it was evaluated for troop carrying and used to fly food to farms snowed in during the winter of 1981/2. Returned to SNIAS 16 February 1983 and delivered to CEV (Centre d'Essais en Vol, French government test establishment) as F-ZLAT, August 1995.
Photo via Frank Grealish
   


SNIAS SA.365Fi Dauphin, serial 244, c/n 6124, delivered 25 June 1986, newly built. Serves with No.3 Support Wing, initially assigned to the Naval Support Squadron, later also to the SAR Squadron. Initially used for Naval Service support (fishery protection, SAR); also used for all weather medium-range SAR, MedEvac, aid to the civil power, government transport, etc.
Top photo by Pat Fahy, Tory Island, Donegal, 11 August 1998, Bottom photo by George Norman, Salthill (Galway), 1 July 2001.
   


SNIAS SA.365Fi Dauphin, serial 245, c/n 6168, delivered 18 July 1986, newly built. Serves with No.3 Support Wing, initially assigned to the Naval Squadron, later also to the SAR Squadron.
Top photo by Jacob Struben, Baldonnell, 23 July 1996, Bottom photo by George Norman, Baldonnell, 17 June 2000.
   
SNIAS SA.365Fi Dauphin, serial 246, c/n 6181, delivered 25 June 1986, newly built. Serves with SAR Squadron, No. 3 Support Wing. Not initially intended for Naval Service support, but used for all weather medium-range SAR, MedEvac, aid to the civil power, government transport, etc.
Photo by Jacob Struben, Baldonnell, 17 August 1986.
   
SNIAS SA.365Fi Dauphin, serial 247, c/n 6202, delivered 21 August 1986, newly built. Serves with SAR Squadron, No. 3 Support Wing. Not initially intended for Naval Service support.
Photo by Gary Adams, Derry, late 1990s
   
SNIAS SA.365Fi Dauphin, serial 248, c/n 6203, delivered 19 December 1986, newly built. Served with SAR Squadron, No. 3 Support Wing. Not initially intended for Naval Service support. This Dauphin crashed into sand dunes at Tramore, Co. Waterford while attempting to return to Waterford Airport in poor visibility after a successful SAR mission on 2 July 1999. All four crew members were killed in the accident. The SAR capability at Waterford had just been upgraded to all-weather medium-range, the Dauphin replacing an Alouette III. This was the first all-weather SAR mission flown from Waterford, and subsequent to the accident the service was downgraded again to VFR only using Alouette IIIs. During the summer of 2002 the service was upgraded to all-weather medium/long-range, operated by an IMES/CHC (Ireland) Ltd. S.61N.
Photo by Frank Grealish, Finner Camp, c.1995
   


Eurocopter AS.355N Twin Squirrel, serial 255, c/n 5633, delivered 22 August 1997, ex G-BXEV. Serves with the Garda Air Support Unit, crewed by IAC pilots and Garda Siochana (police) observers. Can operate at night but may be restricted if visibility is poor. 255 was recently repainted in a colour scheme similar to G-BZRM (see below).
Photos by George Norman, Abbeyshrule, summer 2000
   


Eurocopter EC.135T1, serial 256, c/n 0149, delivered 5 December 2002. Was registered D-HECK initially, then G-BZRM for pre-delivery test flying, registered to An Garda Siochana, Dublin. Intended for use by the GASU (Garda Air Support Unit), may be operated by a civilian contractor with Garda observers joining crews for operational missions. Recent reports suggest that due to limited endurance, the EC.135 will only be used in the Dublin area, releasing AS.355 255 for duty away from the capital.
Top photo by Graeme Lovell, Bottom photo by David O'Mahony (Baldonnell, December 2002)
   
Three Sikorsky S.92s were due to be ordered in February 2002 for medium-range SAR work, with options on two for transport duties, but in July 2002 the government announced that, to save money, the order would not go ahead. The Irish Air Corps would have been the first military customer for the S.92, and a lease, lease-purchase, or private/public partnership deal may still be possible. Reports in December 2002 suggest that the S.92 is no longer being considered, but the EH.101 and the Eurocopter EC.725 Cougar are.
   
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