Built as a successor to the Alouette III, the Aérospatiale SA 365 Dauphin (Dolphin) has been one of the most successful French modern helicopters used for a wide variety of military and civilian applications. It is easily recognizable by its attractive fuselage powered by twin turboshaft engines driving a four-blade rotor in addition to the now characteristic Fenestron ducted-fan anti-torque rotor in the tail which was previously introduced in the Gazelle. The Dauphin is essentially a multi-role helicopter capable of preforming a wide variety of land and naval operations including assault transport, anti-ship (equipped with magnetic anomaly detectors and search radar), anti-tank, and unarmed search and rescue (SAR) in addition to a wide variety of civil duties. Combat versions of an improved Dauphin are known as the AS 565 Panther which is generally used for naval operations. Over 25 nations have adopted the Dauphin (with about ten using the Panther) most notably of which include the United States and China, which has manufactured a local copy by Harbin.

Developed from the earlier SA 360 Dauphin, the SA 365C Dauphin 2 prototype first flew on 24 January 1975 which eventually entered service alongside the SA 360. Variants of the Dauphin 2 included the improved SA 365N (and later the N1, N2, and N3) with uprated engines, retractable tricycle landing gear, and a high proportion of composite materials in the fuselage, as well as the SA 365F used for anti-ship missions and the SA 365M assault transport. Latest in the series is the EC 155B1 with a new five-blade rotor and a significantly larger main cabin (it should also be noted that SA 365 variants were subsequently redesignated AS 365). Meanwhile, the SA 365N was eventually developed as the AS 565 Panther, all variants of which are used for military purposes. Among these are the AS 565SA used for ASW operations, the AS 565MA unarmed SAR type, the AS 565UA high-speed assault transport, and the AS 565AA and AS 565CA attack/anti-tank versions which can carry cannon, rockets, and HOT anti-tank missiles. A version designed specifically for the US Coast Guard is known as the SA 366G (HH-65A Dolphin in local service) while a Chinese copy is known as the Harbin Z-9 used for both utility and attack roles.