If there’s a module in DCS World that has turned its fortunes around from problematic release to fan favourite, the top of that list might just be Polychop’s SA342 Gazelle. If you haven’t been keeping up with this helicopter and the changes that it has seen over the last 12-months or if you’re thinking of making a purchase and want to know more, this review is for you. With all of the changes that it’s seen the question remains: Is this module worth your time and money? I attempt to answer that question with this review!

A bit of history

Developed by Sud Aviation and then later Aerospatial, the SA340 Gazelle was intended to replace the Alouette II helicopter for the French army as a light scout. The design would undergo several changes and the later model, the SA342, would emerge as a successful design with both civilian and military variations.

One of the primary users was the French Army where three distinct versions: a light scout with various guns and rockets, a Mistral armed anti-helicopter, and anti-tank dedicated variants. The other principle operator was the UK with all branches using the helicopter for training, communications and other utility operations. Though these were the principal operators, the Gazelle saw service in over a dozen countries and with multiple operators.

The Gazelle, across all versions, has had a surprisingly long service history seeing combat in numerous large and small scale conflicts around the world. That includes flying for Iraq alongside Mi-24s in the Iran-Iraq war, for Kuwait in the coalition strikes that took back control of that country during Desert Storm, by the Moroccan Air Force against insurgents in North Africa, and of course by the French in number of conflicts including in Chad, Afghanistan, and Somali. This is a workhorse scout and light attack helicopter has seen considerable service.

The status of the DCS: SA342

The Gazelle DCS module has been around for several years and attracted its share of fans and detractors. Plenty of criticism was aimed at the helicopters flight model which had been variously described as “on rails,” “too twitchy,” “not flying according to the laws of physics.” Not everyone felt this way but it certainly attracted a lot of criticism. I did not own the module during that era so I missed all of it because in the summer of 2023, Polychop released a significant revamp of the DCS: SA342 Gazelle and it changed everything.

The Gazelle models available were also significantly reconfigured in some key ways. In addition to some visual updates and a total overhaul of the flight model they also changed what you could fly and how they were armed. Weapons specific versions were replaced and two multi purpose variants, the SA342L and SA342M, were added with the later being flexibly armed with most weapons. Only the SA342 mini-gun version was retained (a Mistral specific version still exists for compatibility).

Work is still ongoing with the project with a second visual update, focused on the exterior of the model, emerging just a few weeks ago. That’s not all that’s planned as the team report that they are intending to spend more time improving the Gazelle in the future.

I had steered clear of the module in the past but am thankful to have purchased it in the last year as the Gazelle has transformed itself and it looks set to pick up more features too.

Variants and options

The variants of the DCS: SA342 can be a little confusing and doubly so with all of the changes that it has seen. Starting with the big update in 2023, the module has coalesced around three flyable versions and one AI only version for compatibility sake.

The first version is the SA342L. This is the light gunship version that can be armed with guns, rockets, Mistral or HOT-3 anti-tank missiles. It has the entire compliment of weapons available making it the most flexible. This variant also has the periscope style Athos sight for use with HOT-3 anti-tank missiles though the periscope is not as good as what comes on the SA342M.

Next we have the SA342M which is a specialized anti-tank version. It can carry the same two or four missile HOT-3 anti-tank missiles and features the superior Viviane FLIR camera. The camera has day and night capabilities, better zoom and targeting options.

The third and final flyable version is the “minigun” variant. It is equipped solely with the M134 Minigun (7.62 mm) and has a third playable position for the gunner. This is the first variant to receive an AI gunner option for the minigun.

Other options include a dust shield for desert operations and an IR shield to reduce the helicopter’s IR signature. These particular features are available on all flyable versions.

The update also added a flip out tablet which gives you a basic navigational capacity with moving map functionality that the helicopter previously lacked. It’s a great little addition.

Visuals and sounds

When I was originally writing this review I was all set to point out the Gazelle’s aging visuals, however, between the time I started writing and now we’ve seen a major update add some significant updates to the modules exterior visuals. New liveries and PBR textures together with some model tweaks have markedly improved the aircraft’s exterior. It’s not quite at Apache or Hind levels but its far closer than it was. Additional improvements are on the way and there’s little I can find to complain about it as it is.

The same story is there for the cockpit which hasn’t seen quite as much attention on it yet, however, improvements seem likely and the cockpit is already decently done with easy to read gauges and instruments. The overall presentation is still strong!

The Gazelle comes packaged with over a dozen accurate and fictional livery options. That gives players quite a bit of flexibility for operations in different scenarios and weather conditions. The fictional options are also not entirely outside of the realm of possibility so they never stick out as being “wrong.”

The sound work is also quite good. Engine sounds have character in all aspects of flight, the slapping rotor blades in certain maneuvers both communicate the situation while also being satisfying in their own right. I have had no complaints with the helicopter’s sounds overall. If they wanted to take it up a notch then some unique knob/control/switch sounds would help elevate the experience though it’s a loud cockpit and arguably they wouldn’t be heard much anyways.

Flying the Gazelle

Though considered a light helicopter, I have to say that the DCS: SA342 feels surprisingly solid and sorted. There’s little of the twitchiness that was reported from its past iteration. There is good controllability and the helicopter feels responsive and only a little jumpy if you hamfist the controls. Otherwise I generally find it quite controllable! I have no idea how it was before but having put some time into various DCS, X-Plane and MSFS helicopters and I think this one feels very satisfying to fly.

The weight of the helicopter matters quite a bit and now the new criticism is that it may be a bit under-powered. That said, I think the Gazelle is pretty sporty when unarmed or setup with a lightweight configuration. On the other hand, it’s challenging to get flying with a full fuel HOT-3 armed configuration such that you really need a steady hand on the controls to get enough translational lift to even get going. I’ve nearly crashed it a few times when flying in those conditions.

The helicopter does appear to have solid modeling of various helicopter traits. Ground effect is there, translational lift is there, VRS (vortex ring state) is there. Compared to what we see sometimes in other sims, I think this is very nuanced and enjoyable. Some folks don’t like it but I have really enjoyed the handling of this helicopter to the point that I’ve managed to fly it into tight spaces and still manage to walk away without having hit anything. That’s high marks in my book!

Systems and weapons impressions

Let’s start with the the navigation system which is a relatively straightforward piece. I love being able to just press a waypoint number and then go. The input for waypoint coordinates is a bit quirky with less precision than I’m used to (and no need to put the 0 in for the Easting) but once you get past the quirks its very simple.

The 2023 update also brought with it an optional (and stowable) tablet with a moving map interface. This is a great little extra that doesn’t have a lot of extra functionality but does give you added navigational information and context. You can stow it away if you don’t want it and mission designers can remove it if its a-historical for the scenario.

Once on station with your weapons the Gazelle has a kind of split personality. The first is the helicopters array of more basic weapons. These include the GIAT M621 20mm cannon, HMP400 .50 cal gun pods, and SNEB 68mm rockets. Turn the weapons panel on, weapon pylons on, master arm on, bring down the gun sight, pull the trigger and fire. The GIAT 20mm cannon is probably my favourite with a high fire rate, flat trajectory profile, and very good punch against light armored vehicles. Its quite simple to manage and very point and shoot.

The same can be said with the Mistral which is an infrared homing missile. Power up, get a tone, hold the trigger and fire! On the Gazelle you can mount up to four of them and they are generally effective anti-helicopter weapons. Years ago, early after the Gazelle’s release, their performance made them jet killers but that is long in the past as the weapon now behaves more realistically and getting a jet kill would be harder (though certainly not impossible).

The Mistrals do often go for flares and some helicopters like the Mi-24 and Mi-8 can tank a Mistral hit and continue to fly on. Sometimes bringing the cannon is actually the better option for taking on helicopters and unfortunately you can’t mix and match. Its two or four Mistral only so you can’t bring a secondary weapon. All things considered, my anti-helicopter operations have gone more smoothly with the available machine gun and cannon over the Mistral but I know the missile is feared and even banned in some multiplayer scenarios.

The other half of the split personality are the HOT-3 anti-tank missiles. These missiles are a capable anti-tank weapon with a stand off range of about four kilometres. They do require some setup and are a bit fussy to use but they are highly effective when done right.

Four can be carried and they are controlled using either the Athos sight in the SA432L or the Viviane camera system on the SA432M. Of the two, the Viviane is far superior with FLIR and zoom capabilities that are far better than the periscope. The Viviane also gives you a little more overall situational awareness without the periscope sitting in your view.

This system is a little more complex than everything else on the helicopter though its still comparatively simple relative to some of the sims third and fourth gen jets. The HOT-3 must be fired while no more than 2-degrees off center from the target and within the aforementioned 4 kilometres. Do that and manage the helicopter appropriately and you can engage targets at standoff distances.

In the real world, the second seat is responsible for that weapon system, however there is currently no AI system like you see in the Apache or Hind so you need to juggle the systems and flying yourself. Typically that means hopping over to the gunner seat and managing both helicopter and the gun station at the same time. The developers have mentioned about adding this capability in the future.

The old auto hover made it easy from what I’ve read but the new one requires some careful management of both helicopter and targeting system. I found it difficult with the Athos periscope and a fair bit easier with the Viviane. Most of the time I’ve actually avoided using the auto-hover and just stabilized the helicopter myself.

The module does have multi-crew support which I did not test. That is the ultimate and ideal experience if you can convince a friend to do the gunner job for you!

I did also experience one systems bug where the weapons panel power button was not clickable. Couldn’t click it from angle angle or viewpoint. I ended up binding a key to get around the problem. It keeps on happening but only on the SA342M so I assume its something that will need to be fixed at some point.

What can you do with the Gazelle

The module comes packaged with the usual array of basic instant action missions and it comes with its own campaign too. I spent a little bit of time with each and found them to be adequate though the campaign does have you flying around at night quite a bit. There are some really good missions out there from third party creators such as Operation Cedar Spear that I flew recently. I’ve also been play testing a counter-insurgency co-op scenario with some friends that has proven to be incredibly fun in the Gazelle.

In addition to these scenarios the Gazelle is also featured on some multiplayer servers. Its a feature of Engima’s Cold War server where some features are typically not available (such as the Mistral) but even with .50cal or 20mm guns its quite the effective helicopter hunter and light attacker. It’s small size and nimble performance often give it an advantage versus larger helicopters.

Final thoughts

From problematic to a solid DCS World experience, I’ve come to absolutely love flying Polychop’s SA342 Gazelle. From the agility to the simple but effective weapons and packing in a fair bit of capability in a light helicopter frame elicits quite a bit of joy while flying it around on missions.

While there has certainly been justified criticism and critique of the DCS: SA342 over the years, the Gazelle of 2024 is in a far different and far better place than it was. The improved flight model, rationalized variants, improved visuals combine together with versatile capabilities, and overall good sounds to a really good module. As usual, there are a few issues to work out and an AI system for the HOT-3 would help take the Gazelle into the top tier. As it is, it’s still very well done and feeling like a mature product.

My positive feelings towards the Gazelle have also boosted my confidence that Polychop’s long in development DCS: OH-58 Kiowa Warrior will also emerge to be a solid module in its own right. Kiowa is one to watch!

I can recommend the DCS: SA342 Gazelle to anyone wanting a fun to fly, light scout chopper that isn’t quite as complex or capable as some of the sim’s more sophisticated offerings but still manages to bring flexible capabilities to the DCS World’s singleplayer and multiplayer battlefields. If that sounds like something you might be into, this helicopter is for you!

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