THE Dauphin AS365N helicopter is one of Netherlands-based firm Eurocopter's most successful designs.

It is widely used as a police, news media, emergency medical services and search and rescue helicopter.

One of the distinctive features of the Dauphin is its Fenestron, or Fantail, tail rotor.

The rotor, at the back - or tail - of the aircraft, is totally enclosed.

It has between eight and 18 blades compared with the up-to-five rotor blades of conventional tail rotors and is said to produce less noise.

The military version of the Dauphin is the Eurocopter Panther. The Dauphin is also used by the United States Coast Guard under the designation HH-65 Dolphin.

In China, the Dauphin is manufactured under licence as the Z-9 by the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation.

Eurocopter is a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company and was formed from the 1992 merger of the helicopter divisions of the French Aerospatiale-matra and German DaimlerChrysler Aerospace.

It has factories in Germany, France and Spain. Tweet