How many Alouette II helicopters were sold?

Short answer

Production stopped in 1975 after 1,324 units had been delivered. Other counts put the figure at more than 1,300 aircraft built between 1956 and 1975. The Alouette II came to serve in more than 80 countries, including 47 different armed forces.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How many Alouette II helicopters were sold?

Sud Aviation Alouette II (ALAT)Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) (CC BY SA), vía commons

Twenty years on the production line

The SE 3130 prototype made its first flight on 12 March 1955. In April 1956 the first production Alouette II was completed, making it the world's first turbine-powered production helicopter. Manufacturing continued until 1975, with more than 1,300 aircraft built between 1956 and that year. Production stopped in 1975 after 1,324 units had been delivered.

Customers in more than eighty countries

The aircraft came to be used in more than 80 countries, including 47 different armed forces. Alongside direct sales, the Alouette II was also manufactured and sold under licence in Brazil, Sweden, India and the United States. By the time production ended in 1975, more than 1,300 units had been built.

From the Alouette II to the Lama

The SA 315B Lama was originally designed to meet a requirement from the Nepalese Army Air Service and the Indian Air Force, which called for a helicopter capable of operating in hot-and-high conditions. It was fitted with the Turbomeca Artouste turbine and the dynamic systems of the Alouette III on a reinforced version of the Alouette II airframe. On 21 June 1972, a Lama with Jean Boulet as sole pilot on board set an absolute altitude record for helicopters of 12,442 m (40,814 ft). On one of its flights, a single aircraft with two crew and 120 kg of fuel landed and then took off again at 7,500 m (24,605 ft), the highest altitude recorded up to that point.