Super Puma & Cougar

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Puma / Super Puma / Cougar

Sud Aviation / Aerospatiale / Eurocopter

First flown in April 1965 as the Sud Aviation SA 330A Alouette IV, the French Puma was designed to fill an Aviation Legere del l' Armee de Terre (French Army Aviation) requirement for a medium troop transport helicopter.

In February 1967, a Franco - British agreement for helicopter production was signed between Sud Aviation and the British Westland covering licence production in UK of 48 SA330Es which were to be known as Puma HC.1s in RAF service and the production of 292 SA341 Gazelles. In return the French were granted licence production of 40 Westland Lynx helicopters.

In France, The Puma was in production until 1984 and a total of 692 Puma's had been sold by the end of manufacture although they were still produced in Romania by IAR at the end 1990s.

A growth version of the successful SA.330, the Super Puma first flew in September 1977. Fitted with twin 1330kW Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turbine engines, composite rotor blades, improved landing gear and modified tail fin, the Super Puma has been made in both short and long fuselage versions.

In 1990 all Super Puma designations were changed from AS 332 to AS 532 Cougar to distinguish between civil and military variants.

Thanks skyfender

SA330 Puma

British Royal Air Force SA 330E Puma

SAR AS 332C1 Super Puma

AS 332M Super Puma

Combat SAR AS 535 Cougar Mk2 RESCO

Variants:

Production Lists

Puma
SA 330A: Prototype, originally named Alouette IV (F-ZWWN)
SA 330B: French Army 1st series
SA 330E: UK built, entered RAF service in January 1971.
SA 330C: Export
SA 330F: Civilian

First major Upgrade: Turmo IVC engines
SA 330G: Civilian version with metalic blades
SA 330H: French Army and export 2nd series with composite rotor blades and higher weights
SA 330J: Civilian version with composite blades. Also assembled by IPTN in Indonesia.
SA 330L: Export version. Also assembled in South Africa by Atlas
IAR330L : SA330L manufactured in Romania
SA 330Z: Prototype with fenestron tail rotor
Atlas TP-1 Oryx: Variant of the SA330L built in South africa

Super Puma
SA 330R/SA 331: Super Puma prototype
AS.332B: Super Puma military version
AS 332C: civilian
AS 332F: naval fitted with 2 exocet missiles
Stretched versions:
AS 332L: civilian
AS 332M: military

Cougar
AS 532: AS 332 new military version
AS 535: french Combat SAR RESCO

Eurocopter new designations
EC 225 : Super Puma civilian versions
EC 725 : Cougar military versions

Related News:

Eurocopter delivers 500th Super Puma/Cougar Jul 17, 1999

First "RESCO" Eurocopter Cougar MK2 Sep 09, 1999

First two SAR Super Puma for Greece Dec 21, 1999

CHC repairs and overhaul Super Pumas Worldwide Jan 24, 2000

First Combat SAR Cougar to the Turkish Air Force May 01, 2000

Cougar In-Flight Refueling Tests Completed Nov 15, 2000

Cougar / Super Puma MK 2+ First Flight Nov 30, 2000

Eurocopter 2000 results Jan 23, 2001

Eurocopter delivers 1st Cougar helicopter to Bulgaria Aug 28, 2006

Hellenic Eurocopter programs update Oct 3, 2006

User Contributed Notes

Database Main Index

carlos rivera ( mexico distrito federal méxico )
FACT: In México, the President only uses the Eurocopter AS 332 Super Puma which plate is TPH-01, 02, 03, etc.

andre ( toulon 83200 france )
On the story of the Puma, please note: 330 G was the former civilian version, equipped whith metallic blades ( with BIM) 330J is the last and ONLY civilian version ( composite blades) Max Gross weight: 7400 kgs

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