Farewell to the Gazelle

To celebrate the distinguished service history of the Gazelle helicopter, and mark its withdrawal from service at the end of this month, 5 Regt AAC will be conducting a final fly past through the UK next Monday 23rd October 2023.

The farewell flight will be departing from, stopping at or overflying, UK locations that have played an important role across the Gazelle’s service.

The Aérospatiale/Westlands Gazelle entered service 6 July 1974 and has provided valiant service to UK Defence in the UK including Northern Ireland; Germany, Hong Kong, Falklands, Iraq, Kosovo, Canada, Kenya, Belize and Cyprus. 

The Gazelle has, at one time or another, served in every arm of the UK Armed Forces in training, reconnaissance, battlefield communication, direction of artillery fire, casualty evacuation and anti-tank roles. 

Regarding a successor to the Gazelle, An Army spokesperson said: 

“We operate a range of aircraft to meet our operational requirements and any replacement for Gazelle will be framed by the 2021 Defence Rotary Wing Strategy and evolving operational demands.”

Regarding a successor to the Gazelle, An Army spokesperson said:  

“We operate a range of aircraft to meet our operational requirements and any replacement for Gazelle will be framed by the 2021 Defence Rotary Wing Strategy and evolving operational demands.”

Flypast details below.