The French Navy has withdrawn its final Sud Aviation Alouette IIIs after an illustrious career spanning six decades on land and at sea, reports Babak Taghvaee
Between August and December 2022, the French Navy retired its last five operational Alouette III helicopters, ending a 60-year service career. From 1962, French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale) operated a total of 37 Alouette IIIs in two variants. The first of these was the Turbomeca Artouste IIIB-powered SA.316B that entered service with Escadrille 20S at Saint Raphaël. A second unit, 23S, was stood up at Saint-Mandrier the same year.
During deployments of the Foch and Clemenceau aircraft carriers, stationed at Toulon, the two squadrons conducted search and rescue (SAR) missions, remaining operational until 1991 and 1999, respectively.
