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 Puma helicopters ordered by the French Army received the SA 330B name. The SA 330C designation refers to export models and SA 330E Puma HC1 was the name assigned to RAF aircraft. The SA 330H or SA 330Ba is a version well suited for hot climate and high altitude operations. The Puma helicopters are powered by two Turbomeca Turmo IVC turboshafts each rated at 1,575-shp. These engines drive a four-bladed main rotor and a five-blade tail rotor.
The SA 330F is a passenger version and the SA 330G is a freight variant. The final production standards introduced by Aerospatiale are the SA 330L and SA 330J for military and civil customers respectively. SA 330 aircraft production ceased in 1987 paving the way for the Super Puma variant. The NSA-300 is a version produced for Indonesia by IPTN and Oryx is a Makila-powered upgraded version of Puma which entered service in South Africa in 1988.
Specifications Accommodation: Crew 2, Passengers 20, Stretchers 6
Dimensions: Height 5.1 m, Length 18.2 m, Main Rotor Diameter 15 m, Main Rotor Disc Area 177 square meter
Weights: Max Takeoff Weight 7,405 kg (16,325 lb), Min Weight 3,615 kg (7,970 lb)
Performance: Ceiling 19,685 ft (6,000 m), Climb Rate 1,810 fpm (), Cruise Speed 271 kph (168 mph), Hovering Ceiling 13,940 ft (4,249 m), Max Range 572 km (309 nm)
Power: Power 3,150 shp
Other: Main Rotor Blades 4, Number of Engines 2, Tail Rotor Blades 5
Argentina
Chile
Democratic Republic of Congo
Ecuador
France / 160 
Gabon
Gambia
Indonesia
Iraq
Kuwait
Lebanon
Malawi
Morocco
Nepal
Nigeria
Portugal
Romania
Senegal
South Africa
Spain
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom