The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a French-designed helicopter, created by the company Sud Aviation, which later became Aérospatiale. Though the general layout resembles that of the Alouette series, the Gazelle featured several important innovations. This was the first helicopter to carry a fenestron or fantail, which allows considerable noise reduction. Also, the rotor blades were made of composite materials, a feature now widely used in modern helicopters.