SNCASE SE.3120 Alouette

SNCASE · France · first flew 1951 · helicopter

The SNCASE SE.3120 Alouette ("Lark") was a utility helicopter developed in France in the early 1950s that did not enter production.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Open-framework fuselage behind a bubble-canopy cockpit
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Open-framework fuselage behind a bubble-canopy cockpit
Three-bladed gyroscopic stabiliser under the main rotor
Single tail rotor

A small helicopter with an open-framework fuselage behind a bubble-canopy cockpit, a single tail rotor and a three-bladed gyroscopic stabiliser under the main rotor.

Specifications

The SNCASE SE.3120 Alouette has a length of 10.45 m (34 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.6 m (38 ft).
Its maximum speed is 201 km/h (125 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was designed in parallel with the SE.3110 and shared its dynamic components, except for the unusual twin tail rotor, which was replaced by a single rotor. The first flight took place on 31 July 1951 at Buc with test pilot Henri Stakenburg.

Variants

Skid undercarriage and tricycle gear were both tested. The type was powered by a 200 hp Salmson 9NH nine-cylinder radial engine.

Where you'll see it

Two prototypes were built, and on 2 July 1953 Jean Boulet flew one to a helicopter closed-circuit distance record of 1,252 km. It proved difficult to maintain and its Salmson engine was not powerful enough, so development was abandoned.

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