Service dAide Medicale dUrgence (SAMU), French national air ambulance service
Between summer 1969 and summer 1988, the ALAT provided a detachment of Alouette III from various units to support SAMUs air operations from hospitals at Dijon, Montpellier and Toulouse. Usually an airframe was provided for 3 months or so, with the crews from the parent unit rotating every 3-4 weeks. After a market testing exercise, the Ministère de la Santé (Ministry of Health) switched over to civilian aircraft. 
Aeromedical services are provided in some areas of France by Mont Blanc Helicopters, through its MBH SAMU operation.
In France, SAMU (Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente) is the national emergency medical service responsible for coordinating urgent medical care, dispatching ambulances, and activating helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) when rapid response is needed. Unlike many countries where EMS is managed locally, SAMU operates under the French hospital system, with physicians directly involved in triage and dispatch decisions. This physician-led model allows SAMU to send advanced medical teams—including doctors and specialized nurses—straight to the scene, making it one of the most medically intensive prehospital care systems in the world.
Model Types