Irish Air Corps Retires Alouette 3s

摘要

The Irish Air Corps is retiring its Alouette 3s, which have been central to thousands of rescue and Army missions since it first went into active service. The Irish defense forces bought the aircraft in 1963 from France's Sud Aviation, a predecessor of Eurocopter. The Alouettes were used mainly as an air and sea rescue helicopter, but were also used by the Army for patrols of the border with Northern Ireland. Its retirement at a special ceremony Sept. 21 signaled "the closure of a glorious chapter in the Air Corps history,"according to the Defence Forces press office.