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.

The SA.342L Gazelle 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.