Description:
The Aerospatiale, now Eurocopter, SA 330 Puma is a medium lift multi-purpose helicopter designed in the 1960s to meet the requirements of the French Army for an all-weather transport helicopter. The prototype flew for the first time on April 15, 1965. The first production aircraft performed its maiden flight in September 1968. The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF) joined the SA 330 Puma program through an agreement signed in 1967. In 1981, Aerospatiale introduced the second generation Puma featuring stretched fuselage and more powerful engines. Known as the AS 332 Super Puma or Cougar, the prototype first flew in September 1978.
The third generation of Puma helicopter developed by Eurocopter first flew in November 2000. The civil version is called EC 225 Super Puma and the military version EC 725 Cougar. These aircraft feature a five-bladed main rotor, more powerful engines, state-of-the-art avionics, glass cockpit, more cabin room and improved performance. The EC 225 and EC 725 helicopters achieved initial operational capability in 2004. So far, Eurocopter has received orders for more than 730 Puma helicopters form both civil and military customers from more than 38 countries.
Eurocopter's EC 225 is the latest development of Cougar/Super Puma family of helicopters for heavy transport in the 11-ton class segment. EC 225 features a five-blade main rotor of the 'Spheriflex' type that provides optimum lift performance and reliability. The main rotor blades are equipped with a very advanced airfoil shape providing the aircraft with an extremely low vibration level. It is powered by two Makila 2A turbo shaft engines with dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system and anti-icing system for operation in extremely cold climate. The helicopter gearbox has been reinforced incorporating advanced materials and new structural solutions such as rigid frames.
Eurocopter is marketing the EC225 twin-engine helicopter for a wide range of missions for the commercial market. It can assume offshore transport roles carrying up to 24 passengers and one cabin attendant in addition to the crew. It the Very Important Person (VIP) transport version the EC225 can accommodate from 8 to 10 passengers. Search and rescue missions can be assigned to this aircraft as well. However, offshore and VIP transport remain the primary roles. Overall performance stays highly reliable and the helicopter handle characteristics benefit from a full digital glass-cockpit and a digital 4-axis autopilot.
The first EC225 prototype performed the maiden flight in November 2000. It shares lots of characteristics and design solutions with Eurcopter's EC 725, which is intended for the military market. To date, 22 EC225/EC725 helicopters have been ordered and the total amount of Cougar/Super Pumas produced stands at 682. The first EC225 civil helicopter was delivered to the government of Algeria after rolling off the assembly line at Marignane, France, on December 22, 2004.
On 5 December 2005, Eurocopter announced that the Japanese Coast Guard was purchasing two EC225 helicopters to support search and rescue (SAR) missions. The Japanese Army bought the first EC225 helicopter at the beginning of 2005 to play the role of VIP transport for the Japanese emperor and official guests. In parallel the Chinese Coast Guards also ordered this aircraft at the end of 2005 to perform SAR missions.
On December 15, 2005 HELI-ONE, a subsidiary of CHC Helicopter Corporation, placed an order for two EC 225 helicopters for oil and gas offshore services in the North Sea. The contract signed between HELI-ONE and Eurocopter also included four EC225 options.
On 17 July 2006, Citic Offshore Helicopter Co. Ltd. (COHC) and Eurocopter announce the signing of a contract for the supply of two EC225 helicopters to serve in offshore operations. These aircraft were scheduled for delivery at the end of 2007 equipped with external auxiliary pod tanks allowing for mission radius greater than 250 nm (460+ km). This announcement was made public at the Farnborough Air Show in England.
Specifications Accommodation: Crew 2, Passengers 24
Dimensions: Height 4.6 m, Length 16.8 m, Main Rotor Diameter 16.2 m, Width 3 m
Weights: Max Weight 11,200 kg (24,691 lb), Min Weight 5,256 kg (11,587 lb), Payload 5,744 kg (12,663 lb)
Performance: Ceiling 5,900 m (19,357 ft), Cruise Speed 76 mps (275 kph), Endurance 5 hours, Max Range 984 km (531 nm), Min Range 839 km (453 nm), Top Speed 90 mps (324 kph)
Algeria / 1 
Canada / 16 
China
Japan / 3 
Norway
United Kingdom / 8 
United States of America / 16 
Ordered by Bristow Group (8); Era Helicopters (8)