Alouette 3, Salisbury Airport, March 1973. Note the large dust filter over the air intakes, one each side. The serials were always hard to make out on helicopters - it was painted in black paint just to the rear of the foot step and to the front of the rear undercarriage legs on the curved bit of the bottom/side fuselage. (photo, Robin D.W.Norton)

Aerospatiale SA.316 Alouette III * Current *
5 Alouette III purchased in 1962, followed by 3 more in 1963. After UDI a large number of Alouette IIIs were covertly obtained from various sources: 4 delivered in 1968, 5 new-build examples in 1972, 8 in 1974-75, 3 in 1978 and 19 ex-Portuguese AF examples abandoned in Mozambique after independence. Total acquired 47 (48 + 2 Romanian?). Up to 30 SAAF Alouette IIIs were also serving in Rhodesia at any one time in the last few years before the end of the war. For Fireforce missions a gunship version was developed with a 20 mm cannon or 0.303 machine guns installed, which was referred to as the 'K-car' version, while the standard transports were called 'G-car' models. Used for the troop transport, gunship, SAR, casualty evacuation and a variety of other roles by 7 Sqn.

Serial	c/no.	Prev. Identity	Delivered	Fate/Notes
7500	1015		27 Mar 1962	RRAF500, w/o 21 February 1973
5701	1016		27 Mar 1962	RRAF501, w/o 4 January 1979
5072	1017		27 Mar 1962	RRAF502
5037	1037		13 July 1962	RRAF503
5074	1038		13 July 1962	RRAF504, w/o 6 April 1994
5705	1131		21 Aug 1963	RRAF505, w/o 27 Sept 1979
7506	1132		21 Aug 1963	RRAF506, w/o 25 July 1976
5077	1133		21 Aug 1963	RRAF507, w/o 17 Jan 1972
5087	1466		11 Jun 1968	w/o 20 Nov 1973
7509	1467		11 Jun 1968
5170	1505		22 Jul 1968	w/o 2 Jan 1979
5117	1506		22 Jul 1968	w/o 1 July 1970
5172	1774		Apr 1972	w/o 17 Mar 1977
5713	1747		Apr 1972	w/o 23 August 1977
7514	1776		Apr 1972
5715	1824		Dec 1972
5176	1863		Dec 1972	w/o 10 Oct 1977
5177	1864		Jan 1973	w/o 28 July 1978
5178	1754		Nov 1973	ex VH-PDY
5719	1738		Nov 1973	ex VH-PDI
5270	?		25 Mar 1974
5217	?		25 Mar 1974
5272	?		Nov 1974
5723	?		1 Mar 1976	w/o 19 Oct 1976
7524	?		1 Mar 1976	w/o 22 Dec 1976
5725	?		1 Mar 1976	shot down 17 May 1977 & repaired
5276	5173		1 Apr 1975	Romanian built
5277	5179		1 Mar 1976	Romanian built
5278	1764	FAP 9363	6 Aug 1976
5729	1732	FAP 9352	20 Sept 1976
7530	2334		14 Mar 1978
5731	2335		14 Mar 1978	w/o 20 Oct 1978
5372	2336		31 Mar 1978
7335	1093	FAP 9254	24 Aug 1979
7354	1129	FAP 9261	19 Apr 1979
7535	1136	FAP 9263	June 1979	to SAAF 645
5736	1137	FAP 9264	June 1979	to SAAF 640
7537	1232	FAP 9269	7 June 1979
7358	1250	FAP 9271	June 1979	to SAAF 642
7395	1295	FAP 9273	7 June 1979
7450	1333	FAP 9280	7 June 1979
7541	1355	FAP 9281	7 June 1979
5742	1357	FAP 9283	7 June 1979	to SAAF 641?
7543	1368	FAP 9284	June 1979	to SAAF 646
7454	1370	FAP 9286	7 June 1979	to SAAF 641?
7455	1384	FAP 9287	June 1979	to SAAF 643
7456	1385	FAP 9288	June 1979	to SAAF 644
7547	1386	FAP 9289	7 June 1979
5748	1396	FAP 9290	June 1979	w/o 12 Jan 1993
7451	?	FAP ??	7 June 1979
7549 (1)	1533	FAP 9294	June 1979	to SAAF 647
7549 (2)	1641		19??
7555	1601		19??
7556	?		19??
7538	?	SAAF 642	June 1979
5473	?	SAAF 646	June 1979
5475	?	SAAF 643	June 1979
5746	?	SAAF 644	June 1979
7546	?	SAAF ??	19??
5757	?	SAAF 55	19??	loaned
5578	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
7560	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5761	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5672	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5637	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5765	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5767	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5678	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5771	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5773	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5774	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5777	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
7578	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5779	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5817	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5872	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5783	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
7584	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5785	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5876	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5877	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5878	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5789	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
7590	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5791	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5937	?	SAAF ??	19??	loaned
5697	?	SAAF 37	19??	w/o 23 Dec 1975
5879	?	SAAF 36	19??	w/o 25 Dec 1979

References:

1. Rhodesian Air Force, A Brief History 1947-1980 (W A Brent, 1987)
2. Britain's Rebel Air Force (Roy Nesbit & Dudley Cowderoy, 1998)
3. African Military Aviation (W A Brent, 1994)
4. World Air Forces Directory 2002/03 (Ian Carroll, 2002)
5. Air (WLAG) September 1989
6. Air (WLAG) October 1989