Puma
Maiden Flight: Thursday, April 15, 1965
IOC: September 1968
Total Production: 737
AS 332 Super Puma
Maiden Flight: Wednesday, September 13, 1978
IOC: 1981
Also Known As
AS 332B Super Puma
AS 332C Super Puma
AS 332L Super Puma
AS 332M Super Puma
AS 532AC Cougar
AS 532AL Cougar
AS 532UC Cougar
AS 532UL Cougar
HORIZON
Origin
France
Contractor/s
Eurocopter
Family Members
SA 330 Puma
AS 532SC Cougar
EC225
EC725
Power plant:
Makila 1A1 (2)
Makila 1A2 (2)
Sensors & Communications:
MWS-20
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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.
The AS 332 Super Puma was originally designed for the civil market. The AS 332B and AS 332C retaining the SA 330s fuselage were the military and civilian versions introduced in 1981. These versions were replaced by the stretched fuselage AS 332M and AS 332L in 1982. In 1990, the military variants were renamed Cougar and adopted the AS 532 designation. The AS 532AC is a military armed version and AS 532UC is a military unarmed version both featuring the short fuselage. The AS 332L Super Puma remains as the production version for the civilian market primarily for use by offshore oil exploitations.
The longer fuselage versions AS 532UL Cougar and AS 532AL Cougar are unarmed and armed aircraft respectively. The AS 532AL is the current production model for military customers having a hardened airframe to withstand crash loads. The cabin is equipped with crashworthy seats and can accommodate up to 25 fully equipped troops. In addition, the aircraft can be armed with pod mounted guns, rocket launchers, and side-mounted guns. The AS 532AL Cougar is suitable for troops transport, search and rescue missions, medical evacuation, airlift, and fire support.
The HORIZON (Helicoptere d'Observation Radar et d'Investigation sur ZONe) is an airborne early warning aircraft based on the AS 532UL helicopter. The HORIZON radar system can process up to 4,000 moving ground targets simultaneously at ranges of 200 kilometers. The French Army ordered eight HORIZON-equipped helicopters with the first aircraft delivered in 1994. The Super Puma and Cougar helicopters are powered by two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 or 1A2 turboshafts driving a four-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor.
Two AS 532UL Cougar helicopters in VIP transport version were delivered to the Spanish government in late 2004. The aircraft were ordered in June 2003 and were valued at 33 million Euro.
Bulgaria ordered 12 AS 532 AL Cougar for its Air Force on January 28, 2005, with eight aircraft to assume tactical transport role and the remaining four combat search and rescue (SAR) missions. The order also included six AS 565 MB Panther helicopters for the Bulgarian Navy and was valued at 360 million Euro.
Specifications
Accommodation: Crew 2, Passengers 25
Dimensions: Height 4.6 m, Length 16.3 m, Main Rotor Diameter 15.6 m, Width 3 m
Weights: Max Weight 9,350 kg (20,613 lb), Payload 4,500 kg (9,921 lb)
Performance: Ceiling 7,620 m (25,000 ft), Cruise Speed 72 mps (258 kph), Endurance 4 hours, Max Range 776 km (419 nm), Top Speed 77 mps (278 kph)
Power: Power 3,178 shp
Other: Main Rotor Blades 4, Number of Engines 2, Tail Rotor Blades 4
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Argentina
Brazil
Bulgaria / 12 
Cameroon
Chile
China
Democratic Republic of Congo
Ecuador
France
Gabon
Germany
Greece
Indonesia
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Malaysia
Mexico
Nepal
Nigeria
Oman
Panama
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Aircraft ordered by the Spanish Army's UME (3) and FAMET (2)
Sweden
Switzerland
Togo
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Venezuela