SA.342L Gazelle - Revision history

U38088265: /* Description */

2024-08-07T18:26:50Z

‎Description

U38088265: /* Suspended armament */ Reformatted

2024-02-06T13:01:30Z

‎Suspended armament: Reformatted

U38088265: /* Description */

2023-09-02T11:36:09Z

‎Description

U4656018: /* Description */ Updated description

2023-08-28T14:43:00Z

‎Description: Updated description

U44629479: Undo revision 156730 by U139405026 (talk)

2023-03-02T07:35:44Z

Undo revision 156730 by U139405026 (talk)

U139405026: /* History / and /Pros and cons*/

2023-03-02T06:55:49Z

‎History: and ‎Pros and cons

U44629479: /* Media */ Added skins

2023-01-15T21:54:55Z

‎Media: Added skins

U44629479: /* Flight performance */ Added stock values

2022-12-14T18:18:02Z

‎Flight performance: Added stock values

U38088265: /* Suspended armament */

2022-09-19T14:40:06Z

‎Suspended armament

U4656018: Adding the remaining part of Gazelle's description

2022-09-18T02:26:11Z

Adding the remaining part of Gazelle's description

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the helicopter, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the helicopter in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (commonly known as 小羚羊; Gazelle) was one of the PLA purchases from France during the improving relationships to western countries in the 1980s. While the PLAGF planned for an Army Aviation Corps, there were no reliable attack helicopters available from either domestic or import means, thus to introduce some "attack helicopters" for evaluation and persuade officials to establish the Aviation Corps, Aérospatiale approached PLAGF for the sales of the Gazelle and its HOT ATGM as the first armed helicopter for PLAGF (Z-5 and imported Mi-6 were not planned to be weaponized). Eight Gazelles made it to Mainland China by the late 1980s as armed scout helicopters and the testbed for heliborne ATGMs. They were mostly used as OPFOR attack helicopters during exercises, and are now likely used by aviation academies of the PLA as training helicopters thanks to its good flight characteristics.
+While the PLAGF was planning to establish an Army Aviation Corps, they had no reliable attack helicopters available from either domestic or import sources. Thus, to introduce some "attack helicopters" for evaluation and persuade officials, Aérospatiale approached the PLAGF for the sale of the Gazelle and its HOT ATGM as the PLA's first armed helicopter (the Z-5 and imported Mi-6 were not planned to be armed). Eight '''SA.342L Gazelles''' reached Mainland China in the late 1980s as armed scout helicopters and testbeds for heliborne ATGMs. They were mostly used as OPFOR attack helicopters during exercises, and are now likely used by PLA aviation academies as training helicopters thanks to their good flight characteristics.
-Introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]] alongside the initial Chinese helicopter tech tree, the SA.342L Gazelle was one of the earliest European purchases of Mainland China during the 1980s and their earliest "attack" helicopter that installed ATGMs. While the name "gazelle" might not sound threatening, it can still fight back with its limited payload including ATGMs and a pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods, while evading enemy threats with its swift mobility.
+The {{Specs|name}} was introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]]. While the name "Gazelle" might not sound threatening, it can still fight back with its small but effective payload, including ATGMs and a pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods, while evading enemy threats with its swift mobility. However, without any defensive features such as armour, countermeasures, or air-to-air missiles, the Gazelle is entirely reliant on its pilot and flight performance for survival.
 == General info ==

@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 {{Specs-Heli-Suspended}}
 <!-- ''Describe the helicopter's suspended armament: additional cannons under the winglets, any bombs, and rockets. Since any helicopter is essentially only a platform for suspended weaponry, this section is significant and deserves your special attention. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
-The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:
+The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 |-
@@ Line 65: / Line 58: @@
 | rowspan="5" width="25%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
 |-
-! 12.7 mm QJK99-12.7-1 machine guns (1,000 rpg)
+! [[QJK99-12.7-1 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm QJK99-12.7-1]] machine guns (1,000 rpg)
 | 1 || 1
 |-
-! FS70 rockets
+! [[FS70]] rockets
 | 7 || 7
 |-
-! Type 57-1 rockets
+! [[Type 57-1]] rockets
 | 18 || 18
 |-
-! HJ-8A missiles
+! [[HJ-8A]] missiles
 | 2 || 2
 |-
 |}
 == Usage in battles ==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the helicopter, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the helicopter in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}'''(commonly known as 小羚羊 by the name Gazelle) is one of the PLA purchase from France during the improving relationships to western countries in 1980s. As PLAGF planned for an Army Aviation Corps, what's embarrassing was that there were no reliable attack helicopters available from both domestic or import means, there were the need to introduce some "attack helicopters" for evaluation and persuade officials to establish the Aviation Corps; thus Aérospatiale approached PLAGF for the sales of Gazelle and its HOT ATGM as the first armed helicopter for PLAGF (note: Z-5 and imported Mi-6 were not planned to be weaponized). Eight Gazelle made it to Mainland China by late-1980s as an armed scout helicopter and the testbed for heliborne ATGM, they were mostly used as the OPFOR attack helicopters during exercises; now likely been used by aviation academies of PLA as the training helicopter thanks to its good flight characteristics.
+The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (commonly known as 小羚羊; Gazelle) was one of the PLA purchases from France during the improving relationships to western countries in the 1980s. While the PLAGF planned for an Army Aviation Corps, there were no reliable attack helicopters available from either domestic or import means, thus to introduce some "attack helicopters" for evaluation and persuade officials to establish the Aviation Corps, Aérospatiale approached PLAGF for the sales of the Gazelle and its HOT ATGM as the first armed helicopter for PLAGF (Z-5 and imported Mi-6 were not planned to be weaponized). Eight Gazelles made it to Mainland China by the late 1980s as armed scout helicopters and the testbed for heliborne ATGMs. They were mostly used as OPFOR attack helicopters during exercises, and are now likely used by aviation academies of the PLA as training helicopters thanks to its good flight characteristics.
-Introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]] alongside with the Chinese helicopter TT, it was one of the earliest European purchases of Mainland China during the 1980s and their earliest "attack" helicopter that installed ATGMs, the name "gazelle" might not sound threatening, but it can still fight back with its limited payload including ATGMs and pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods; while evading enemy threats with its swift mobility.
+Introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]] alongside the initial Chinese helicopter tech tree, the SA.342L Gazelle was one of the earliest European purchases of Mainland China during the 1980s and their earliest "attack" helicopter that installed ATGMs. While the name "gazelle" might not sound threatening, it can still fight back with its limited payload including ATGMs and a pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods, while evading enemy threats with its swift mobility.
 == General info ==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the helicopter, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the helicopter in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}'''(commonly known as 小羚羊 by the name Gazelle) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese utility helicopter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]].
+The '''{{Specs|name}}'''(commonly known as 小羚羊 by the name Gazelle) is one of the PLA purchase from France during the improving relationships to western countries in 1980s. As PLAGF planned for an Army Aviation Corps, what's embarrassing was that there were no reliable attack helicopters available from both domestic or import means, there were the need to introduce some "attack helicopters" for evaluation and persuade officials to establish the Aviation Corps; thus Aérospatiale approached PLAGF for the sales of Gazelle and its HOT ATGM as the first armed helicopter for PLAGF (note: Z-5 and imported Mi-6 were not planned to be weaponized). Eight Gazelle made it to Mainland China by late-1980s as an armed scout helicopter and the testbed for heliborne ATGM, they were mostly used as the OPFOR attack helicopters during exercises; now likely been used by aviation academies of PLA as the training helicopter thanks to its good flight characteristics.
-One of the earliest European purchases of Mainland China during the 1980s and their earliest "attack" helicopter that installed ATGMs, the name "gazelle" might not sound threatening, but it can still fight back with its limited payload including ATGMs and pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods.
+Introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]] alongside with the Chinese helicopter TT, it was one of the earliest European purchases of Mainland China during the 1980s and their earliest "attack" helicopter that installed ATGMs, the name "gazelle" might not sound threatening, but it can still fight back with its limited payload including ATGMs and pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods; while evading enemy threats with its swift mobility.
 == General info ==
@@ Line 101: / Line 101: @@
 == History ==
 <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
-SA.340/341/342 Gazelle has been a very successful helicopter from France and already been export to multiple customers; while the new PLAGF Aviation Corps (陆军航空兵) established in October of 1986 with only Harbin Z-5 and earlier SA.311 at their disposal, they have already proposed for new helicopters to meet their urge demand for helicopters. The deal for SA.341L was set in late-1980s for 8 helicopters at $800k USD per unit where they were first seen as a part of the scouting operations of the 1989 Crackdown; while they were later served as a converted attack helicopter of PLAGF during military exercises, especially during the heat of 2nd Taiwan Strait Crisis as the only "dedicated" attack helicopter for PLAGF with 4 missiles onboard.
+SA.340/341/342 Gazelle has been a very successful helicopter from France and already been export to multiple customers; while the new PLAGF Aviation Corps (陆军航空兵) established in October of 1986 with only Harbin Z-5 and earlier SA.311 at their disposal, they have already proposed for new helicopters to meet their urge demand for helicopters. The deal for SA.341L was set in late-1980s for 8 helicopters at $800k USD per unit where they were first seen as a part of the scouting operations of the 1989 Crackdown; while they were later served as a converted attack helicopter of PLAGF during military exercises for OPFOR, especially during the heat of 2nd Taiwan Strait Crisis as the only "dedicated" attack helicopter for PLAGF with 4 missiles onboard.
 As newer Z-9 and later helicopters with better payload and performance came into service, the Gazelles are very likely been withdrawn from frontline service and serve as trainer for new pilots of PLAGF Aviation Corps.
@@ Line 109: / Line 109: @@
 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sa_342l_china Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
@@ Line 117: / Line 118: @@
 ;Related development
 * [[Gazelle (Family)]]

@@ Line 90: / Line 90: @@
 '''Pros:'''
-* Pros:
+* Small and agile
-* Versatile and flexible, capable of performing a wide range of missions including scouting, reconnaissance, transport, and attack.
+* Sufficient camera magnification for co-pilot
 '''Cons:'''
-* options
+* Lacks of any form of extra protection
+* Very limited weapon options
 == History ==
 <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
-The SA.340/341/342 Gazelle helicopter, produced by the French manufacturer Aérospatiale, has a long history of successful service around the world. Since its introduction in the 1970s, it has been exported to multiple customers and used for a wide range of missions, from scouting and reconnaissance to attack and transport.  In the late 1980s, the new PLAGF Aviation Corps (陆军航空兵) of China found themselves in urgent need of new helicopters to meet their demand for increased mobility and firepower. With only Harbin Z-5 and earlier SA.311 models at their disposal, they began to search for a new solution. In a deal set in the late 1980s, they acquired eight SA.341L Gazelle helicopters for $800k USD per unit.  The Gazelles quickly proved their worth during the 1989 crackdown, where they were utilized in scouting operations. Later on, during military exercises, they were converted into attack helicopters and proved their mettle as the only "dedicated" attack helicopter for PLAGF, equipped with four missiles onboard. Their performance during the heat of the 2nd Taiwan Strait Crisis helped establish their reputation as a valuable asset for the PLAGF Aviation Corps.  However, as newer helicopters like the Z-9 entered service with better payload and performance capabilities, the Gazelles were gradually phased out of frontline service. They were eventually repurposed as trainers for new pilots of the PLAGF Aviation Corps, where they continue to serve to this day.  Despite being retired from combat roles, the SA.340/341/342 Gazelle remains a symbol of the longstanding partnership between France and China in the field of aviation. Its success in multiple roles and countries is a testament to the quality and versatility of the design, and its legacy lives on in the pilots it has trained and the missions it has flown.
+SA.340/341/342 Gazelle has been a very successful helicopter from France and already been export to multiple customers; while the new PLAGF Aviation Corps (陆军航空兵) established in October of 1986 with only Harbin Z-5 and earlier SA.311 at their disposal, they have already proposed for new helicopters to meet their urge demand for helicopters. The deal for SA.341L was set in late-1980s for 8 helicopters at $800k USD per unit where they were first seen as a part of the scouting operations of the 1989 Crackdown; while they were later served as a converted attack helicopter of PLAGF during military exercises, especially during the heat of 2nd Taiwan Strait Crisis as the only "dedicated" attack helicopter for PLAGF with 4 missiles onboard.
 == Media ==
@@ Line 117: / Line 109: @@
 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sa_342l_china Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
@@ Line 126: / Line 117: @@
 ;Related development
 * [[Gazelle (Family)]]

@@ Line 107: / Line 107: @@
 == Media ==
 <!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
-''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
 == See also ==
@@ Line 113: / Line 115: @@
 * ''reference to the series of the helicopter;''
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
-* ''reference to the series of the helicopter;''
+;Related development
-* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+* [[Gazelle (Family)]]
 == External links ==

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 |-
 ! Stock
-| ___ || ___ || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}}
+| 264 || 249 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}}
 |-
 ! Upgraded

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 The '''{{Specs|name}}'''(commonly known as 小羚羊 by the name Gazelle) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese utility helicopter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]].
-One of the earliest European purchase of Mainland China during the 1980s and their earliest "attack" helicopter that installed ATGMs, the name "gazelle" might not sound threatening, but it can still fight back with its limited payload including ATGMs and pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods.
+One of the earliest European purchases of Mainland China during the 1980s and their earliest "attack" helicopter that installed ATGMs, the name "gazelle" might not sound threatening, but it can still fight back with its limited payload including ATGMs and pair of rocket pods, as well as machine gun pods.
 == General info ==
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 {{Specs-Heli-Flight}}
 <!-- ''Describe how the helicopter behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
-SA.342L is one of the family of the Gazelle family of light helicopters from France with revised systems for carrying armaments, one of its distinctive feature over other helicopters of its era is the fenestron (covered tail rotor) tail rotor. Since its nature of a light helicopter, players will find Gazelle agile while keeping sufficient top speed for scouting missions and assault mission. But do remember that its nature of a light helicopter- the only payload options are only 57 mm or 70 mm rocket pods, 12.7 mm gun pods and 2 pairs of HJ-8A ATGMs with low speed and relatively low range, so make use of its mobility to sneak into battlefield and delivery some blows onto enemy targets.
+SA.342L is one of the Gazelle family of light helicopters from France with revised systems for carrying armaments, one of its most distinctive features over other helicopters of its era is the fenestron (covered tail rotor). Since its nature of a light helicopter, players will find the Gazelle agile while keeping sufficient top speed for scouting and assault mission. But do remember that its nature of a light helicopter - the only payload options are only 57 mm or 70 mm rocket pods, 12.7 mm gun pods and 2 pairs of HJ-8A ATGMs with low speed and relatively low range, so make use of its mobility to sneak into battlefield and delivery some blows onto enemy targets.
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 {{Specs-Heli-Suspended}}
 <!-- ''Describe the helicopter's suspended armament: additional cannons under the winglets, any bombs, and rockets. Since any helicopter is essentially only a platform for suspended weaponry, this section is significant and deserves your special attention. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
-The payload options of SA.342L are as follow:
+{{main|HJ-8A|FS70|Type 57-1|QJK99-12.7-1 (12.7 mm)}}
-* 34x Type 57-1 rockets
+The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:
-* 14x FS70 rockets
-* 2x QJK99-1 12.7 mm gun pod
+* 36 x Type 57-1 rockets
-* 4x HJ-8A ATGM
+* 14 x FS70 rockets
 ==== Custom loadout options ====
-{| class="wikitable"
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+|-
-!'''1'''
+! !! width="20%" | 1 !! width="20%" | 2
-!'''2'''
+| rowspan="5" width="25%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
-| rowspan="5" |
+|-
 |-
-!'''12.7 mm QJK99-12.7-1 machine guns (1,000 rpg)'''
+! FS70 rockets
-|1
+| 7 || 7
 |-
-!'''FS70 rockets'''
+! Type 57-1 rockets
-|7
+| 18 || 18
 |-
-!'''Type 57-1 rockets'''
+! HJ-8A missiles
-|18
+| 2 || 2
 |-
 |}
 == Usage in battles ==
 <!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in a helicopter, the features of using the helicopter in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
-The Chinese Gazelle in this case is currently placed at 8.7, although it is lower than his French cousins, this also means its weaponry choice is rather limited compare to them as well. Due to the late introduction of ATGMs in PLAGF service and the small payload capability of Gazelle, it could only at most carry 4 HJ-8A ATGMs which are the earliest "2nd generation" ATGM of PLAGF with relatively worse performance; they are sufficient to knock-down tanks without composite armor or ERA packages, but do make sure choosing targets that do not aware of your existence since it takes around 13 seconds to hit targets at its maximum distance. Another complain on Gazelle is that it doesn't have any form of fixed weapon for self-defense and it could only carry gun pod with other weaponries in custom loadout at the cost of either side pylon and rotorcraft dogfights could be rare at the tier, so in most cases, the default options are already sufficient for your use. Do remember that Gazelle has no ballistic computer and it takes some practice to utilize both rockets at maximum efficiency as their trajectory is not as easy to be handled as FFAR or Mighty Mouse.
+The weaponry choices of the Chinese Gazelle is rather limited compared to its French cousins. Due to the late introduction of ATGMs in PLAGF service and the small payload capability of the Gazelle, it could only carry 4 HJ-8A ATGMs at most which are the earliest "2nd generation" ATGM of the PLAGF with relatively worse performance; they are sufficient to knock-down tanks without composite armour or ERA packages, but do make sure to choose targets that are not aware of your presence since it takes around 13 seconds to hit targets at its maximum distance. Another downside to the Gazelle is that it doesn't have any form of fixed weapon for self-defense and it can only carry gunpods with other weaponries in custom loadouts at the cost of either side pylon. However, rotorcraft dogfights are rare at the tier, so in most cases, the default options are already sufficient for your use. Do remember that Gazelle has no ballistic computer and it takes some practice to utilize both rockets at maximum efficiency as their trajectory is not as easy to be handled as FFAR or Mighty Mouse.
-Since its armaments have quite short range compare to other helicopters of the tier, be sure to utilize the excellent mobility of Gazelle (literally) to enter the battlefield and leave in one piece- any vehicles with guns that can aim high enough to hit Gazelle are like predators of the Savanna, any hits could mean a quick and sometimes miserable end to Gazelle. Alternatively for a safer approach, take cover behind terrain or stay barely above tree level to conceal yourself from any "predators", only peek out and take out enemies that are in heat of battle and didn't expect your existence.
+Since its armaments have quite short range compared to other helicopters of the tier, be sure to utilize the excellent mobility of the Gazelle to enter the battlefield and leave in one piece - any vehicles with guns that can aim high enough to hit Gazelle are like predators of the Savanna, any hits could mean a quick and sometimes miserable end to Gazelle. Alternatively for a safer approach, take cover behind terrain or stay barely above tree level to conceal yourself from any "predators", only peek out and take out enemies that are in heat of battle and didn't expect your existence.
 === Pros and cons ===
-<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->'''Pros:'''
+<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 * Small and agile
 * Sufficient camera magnification for co-pilot
 '''Cons:'''
@@ Line 100: / Line 98: @@
 * Very limited weapon options
 * Lacks fixed weapons for last ditch self-defense/unprotected targets
 == History ==
@@ Line 107: / Line 103: @@
 SA.340/341/342 Gazelle has been a very successful helicopter from France and already been export to multiple customers; while the new PLAGF Aviation Corps (陆军航空兵) established in October of 1986 with only Harbin Z-5 and earlier SA.311 at their disposal, they have already proposed for new helicopters to meet their urge demand for helicopters. The deal for SA.341L was set in late-1980s for 8 helicopters at $800k USD per unit where they were first seen as a part of the scouting operations of the 1989 Crackdown; while they were later served as a converted attack helicopter of PLAGF during military exercises, especially during the heat of 2nd Taiwan Strait Crisis as the only "dedicated" attack helicopter for PLAGF with 4 missiles onboard.
 As newer Z-9 and later helicopters with better payload and performance came into service, the Gazelles are very likely been withdrawn from frontline service and serve as trainer for new pilots of PLAGF Aviation Corps.
 == Media ==

SA.342L Gazelle - Revision history

U38088265: /* Description */

U38088265: /* Suspended armament */ Reformatted

U38088265: /* Description */

U4656018: /* Description */ Updated description

U44629479: Undo revision 156730 by U139405026 (talk)

U139405026: /* History */ and /*Pros and cons*/

U44629479: /* Media */ Added skins

U44629479: /* Flight performance */ Added stock values

U38088265: /* Suspended armament */

U4656018: Adding the remaining part of Gazelle's description

U139405026: /* History / and /Pros and cons*/