Originally developed as a replacement to Aérospatiale’s Alouette helicopter, some aspects of the Gazelle such as its purpose and layout were based on the previous model.
The Gazelle featured several important innovations.
It was the first helicopter with a fenestron or fantail, this is a shrouded multi-blade anti-torque device housed in the vertical surface of the Gazelle’s tail, where it replaces a conventional tail rotor.