SA.342L Gazelle

This page is about the Chinese utility helicopter SA.342L Gazelle. For other versions, see Gazelle (Family).

SA.342L Gazelle

SA.342L Gazelle

China

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.7	8.7	8.7

Class:

Utility helicopter

Research:150 000

Purchase:490 000

Show in game

Description

The SA.342L Gazelle(commonly known as 小羚羊 by the name Gazelle) is a rank V Chinese utility helicopter with a battle rating of 8.7 (AB/RB/SB). 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.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 0 m288 km/h

Max altitude5 000 m

EngineTurbomeca Astazou XIV

Power580 hp

Take-off weight2 t

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.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - at sea level)		Max altitude (metres)
	AB	RB
Stock	___	___	5000
Upgraded	___	___

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people

Speed of destruction

Structural310 km/h

Gear320 km/h

Like many utility helicopters, Gazelle does not have any kind of extra protection other than its airframe and windshields, any projectile that flies onto Gazelle will very likely damage parts of the helicopter and even being pilot-sniped with relative ease; the only better news is that Gazelle has self-sealing tanks to at least giving it the chance to save itself from being a fireball in the skies.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB10 112 → 12 832

RB2 938 → 3 728

SB4 927 → 6 252

Total cost of modifications264 000

414 000

Talisman cost2 200

Crew training140 000

Experts490 000

Aces1 800

Research Aces780 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 300 / 430 %

202 / 202 / 202 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 170 Replacing helicopter blades Research: 30 000 Cost: 47 000 390 Engine Research: 33 000 Cost: 52 000 430	Flak jacket Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 170 Helicopter frame Research: 30 000 Cost: 47 000 390 Cover Research: 43 000 Cost: 68 000 560	qjk_99_belt_pack Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 170 HF-7D Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 170 qjk_99_new_gun Research: 33 000 Cost: 52 000 430 HJ-8A Research: 43 000 Cost: 68 000 560

Armaments

Suspended armament

The payload options of SA.342L are as follow:

• 34x Type 57-1 rockets
• 14x FS70 rockets
• 2x QJK99-1 12.7 mm gun pod
• 4x HJ-8A ATGM

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).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Small and agile
• Sufficient camera magnification for co-pilot

Cons:

• Lacks of any form of extra protection
• Very limited weapon options
• Lacks fixed weapons for last ditch self-defense/unprotected targets

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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the helicopter;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

China helicopters
Attack/Utility	Z-9W · Z-9WA · Z-10 · Z-11WA · Z-19 · Z-19E
	␗OH-58D (USA)
Attack	␗AH-1W (USA)
Utility	SA.342L Gazelle (France)
Pakistan	▄Mi-35M