Aerospatiale Alouette III
in
Força Aérea Portuguesa

Introduced into FAP service from 1963, eventually 156 of the type were delivered. They were also used in Portugals African Wars in Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique in the mid 1960s to mid 1970s, where as numbers ramped up, they became pivotal in delivering the anti-insurgent punch.

In Angola, the common border with Namibia led to a (then) secret mutual support arrangement with South Africa, one of the consequences of this was the delivery of Alouette III without national markings to the FAP during a time of acute helicopter shortage; these helicopters were known as the Black Block where their previous identities were uncertain. At least 5 serials in PAF use are known: 9317, 9318, 9319, 9320 and 9321 which were delivered to Cuito Cuanavale in Jun 1968, but establishing their c/ns has been difficult. About 17 Alouette III arrived in Angola from South Africa.

Whilst the Apr 1974 Revolução dos Cravos in Portugal brought the colonial wars to a relatively swift end, the disengagement from Mozambique took a little longer and almost 20 Alouette III were abandoned in-country when the Portuguese armed forces finally departed in early 1975. Many of these were recovered by Southern Rhodesian Forces and some ended up with the SAAF.

In 2005, less than 20 remain in service. The last examples were retired in Jun 2020.