China From December 1975 to April 1977, China took delivery of a batch of 12 SA 321 Super Frelon navalised helicopters. These helicopters came in two variants: anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and search and rescue
(SAR) versions. The Super Frelon was the first helicopter of the
People's Liberation Army (PLA) to be capable of operating from the
flight deck of surface vessels. China has also manufactured a number of Super Frelons locally, where it is known under the designation
Z-8 (land-or-ship based ASW/SAR helicopter). The Super Frelon remains operational with the PLA Navy as of 2014. Since the early 1980s, the Super Frelons have been frequently used by the
People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) for conducting shipborne ASW and SAR operations. For ASW missions, the Z-8 is equipped with surface search radar and a French HS-12 dipping sonar while carrying a Whitehead A244S torpedo under the starboard side of the fuselage. The rotorcraft were also used to ferry supplies from replenishment ship to surface combatants, and transport marines from the landing ship to the shore. A naval SAR version, designated as the
Z-8S, was outfitted with upgraded avionics, a searchlight,
FLIR turret and a hoist, made its first flight in December 2004. Another rescue variant, furnished with dedicated medivac equipment on board, was also developed for the Navy, designated as the
Z-8JH. The
Z-8A version was developed as an army transport variant and received certification in February 1999. In 2001, a pair of Z-8As were delivered to the Army for evaluation, however, it ultimately decided to procure additional Mi-17V5s instead. Only a single batch of about six Z-8A were delivered to the Army in November 2002; these still retained the nose weather radar and side floats. Starting in 2007, the
People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) also acquired dozens of upgraded
Z-8Ks and
Z-8KAs for conducting SAR missions; these were equipped with a FLIR turret and a searchlight underneath the cabin, plus a hoist and a flare dispenser. China has also developed a domestic civil helicopter variant of the Z-8, which is marketed as the
Avicopter AC313. The AC313 has a maximum takeoff weight of 13.8 tonnes, is capable of carrying up to 27 passengers, and has a maximum range of 900 km (559 miles). After the
2008 Sichuan earthquake, Z-8 helicopter production received a massive boost as the event had proved the helicopter's value in humanitarian missions. New engine acquisition and design changes were implemented in order to iron out some of known existing issues which had affected the Z-8 for decades. The Chinese
People's Armed Police ordered 18 Z-8 helicopters; by 2013, at least five helicopters had been delivered, the majority of these having been assigned to forestry fire fighting units. During subsequent earthquake relief operations, Z-8 helicopters have been deployed to perform rescue and logistical missions. In 2018, the PLA Army Aviation announced that it would begin phasing out its fleet of Z-8 helicopters due to low performance and high maintenance requirements, even though some examples have only been in service for six years, the Z-8s will likely to be replaced by the
Harbin Z-20 medium lift helicopter.
France In October 1965, the SA 321G ASW helicopter joined the
French Naval Aviation (
Aeronavale). Apart from ship-based ASW missions, the SA321G also carried out sanitisation patrols in support of
Redoutable-class ballistic missile submarines. Some aircraft were modified with nose-mounted targeting radar for
Exocet anti-ship missiles. Five SA321GA freighters, originally used in support of the Pacific nuclear test centre, were transferred to assault support duties. In 2003, the surviving Aeronavale Super Frelons were assigned to transport duties, including commando transport, VertRep and SAR. The SA321G Super Frelon served with
Flotille 32F of the French
Aviation navale, operating from Lanvéoc-Poulmic in
Brittany in the Search and Rescue role. They were retired on 30 April 2010, replaced by two
Eurocopter EC225 helicopters purchased as stop-gaps until the
NHIndustries NH90 came into service in 2011–12.
Iraq Starting in 1977, a total of 16 Super Frelons were delivered to the
Iraqi Air Force; equipped with radar and Exocet missiles, the Iraqi models were designated as the
SA 321H. These rotorcraft were deployed in the lengthy
Iran–Iraq War and during the 1991
Gulf War, in which at least one example was destroyed. During the
Iran–Iraq War, Iraq started using Super Frelon and its other newly purchased Exocet-equipped fighters to target Iranian shipping in Persian Gulf in an event now known as the
Tanker War. Two of the Iraqi Super Frelons were downed by Iranian fighters, one by a long-range shot of
AIM-54A Phoenix by an
F-14 Tomcat (during
Operation Pearl) while under way over Persian Gulf, and one by an
AGM-65A Maverick fired from an Iranian
F-4 Phantom in July 1986, while attempting to take off from an oil rig.
Israel Super Frelon at the Air Force Museum in
Hatzerim Israel placed an order for six
SA 321K Super Frelons in 1965 to equip the
Israeli Air Force with a heavy lift transport capability. The first of these helicopters arrived on 20 April 1966, enabling the inauguration of
114 Squadron, which operated the type out of
Tel Nof. An additional six Super Frelons were ordered during the following year. A total of four helicopters had arrived by the start of the 1967
Six-Day War, during which they flew 41 sorties. Israeli Super Frelons saw extensive service during the
War of Attrition, participating in operations such as
Helem,
Tarnegol 53 and
Rhodes. The type was once again in service during the
Yom Kippur War, following which Israel replaced the original
Turbomeca Turmo engines with the
General Electric T58-GE-T5D engine. The Super Frelons also took part in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982.
South Africa South Africa ordered sixteen SA 321L helicopters in 1965, At least two were deployed to
Mozambique in support of
Rhodesian military operations against insurgents of the
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army between 1978 and 1979. In August 1978, the
South West African People's Organization sparked a major border incident between South Africa and Zambia when its guerrillas fired on an SAAF Super Frelon landing at
Katima Mulilo from Zambian soil. The South Africans retaliated with an artillery strike, which struck a Zambian Army position. While the
Syrian Air Force did issue a requirement for fifteen of the specific aircraft, and recommended purchasing up to fifty, by 1984 the sale had still not materialized. ==Variants==