Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma
[2] External features that distinguish the new helicopter from the SA 330 include a ventral fin underneath the tail boom and a more streamlined nose.[10] It quickly proved to be highly popular amongst its customers; between July 1981 and April 1987, on average, three helicopters per month were being built for operators from both the military and civilian sectors.These included the arrival of features such as lengthened rotor blades, more powerful engines and gearboxes, increases in takeoff weight, and modernised avionics.[12] A wide variety of specialised Super Puma variants followed the basic utility transport model into operation, including dedicated search-and-rescue (SAR) and antisubmarine warfare (ASW) versions.[15] In November 2015, Airbus Helicopters announced that manufacturing activity of the AS 332 Super Puma, which was redesignated as the H215 at that point, would be transferred to a new purpose-built final-assembly facility in Brasov, Romania.A hatch is set into the cabin floor which facilitates access to the cargo sling pole, in addition to individual stowage space for airborne equipment.In such a configuration, the Super Puma is modified with additional corrosion protection, a folding tail rotor boom, a deck-landing guidance system, sonar equipment, and the nose-mounted Omera search radar.The first prototype Orchidée was assembled at Aérospatiale's Marignane factory and began testing in late 1988; the French Army intended to procure 20 aircraft to equip two squadrons.[30] In 1989, the Indonesian Air Force placed an order for 16 Super Pumas as a replacement for the aging Sikorsky S-58T fleet, but amid continued funding shortfalls, only seven units had been delivered by 2008, the operations of which were reportedly hampered by a lack of spare parts.The Swiss Air Force has typically deployed the type for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and search-and-rescue (SAR) missions.[35] During 1988, Sweden arranged to procure a fleet of 12 Super Pumas; they were primarily operated domestically, although some were deployed overseas occasionally, such as to provide medical evacuation services to coalition forces engaged in the War in Afghanistan.[36] In October 2015, the Swedish Air Force retired its last Super Puma, replacing it with newer rotorcraft such as the NHIndustries NH90 and Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk.[41] During 2000, a pair of Nigerian Super Pumas were deployed to in Cross River State to improve area surveillance and increase available firepower in response to insecurity in the vicinity of the Bakassi axis.The need for an all-weather, day and night, long range SAR helicopter for operations throughout the Athens FIR came up after the Imia/Kardak incident of 1996, and the growing tension between Greece and Turkey over territorial water disputes on the Aegean Sea.[44][45] HAF acquired two more Super Pumas for air support operations of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and six more helicopters followed up in the period 2007–2011 for the new CSAR role of the 384 SAR/CSAR Sq.All HAF Super Pumas are of the C1 version, which includes features such as a four-axis auto pilot, a NADIR type1000 navigation and mission management computer, FLIR turrets, an RBR1500B search radar, an engine anti-icing system, hydraulic and electrical hoists, a SPECTROLAB SX-16 searchlight, engine exhaust-gas deflectors, a Bertin loudspeaker, and six-stretcher interior configuration for MEDEVAC missions.[61] In 2014, Airbus Helicopters, the manufacturer of the type, declared that the Super Puma/Cougar family had accumulated a total of 890 delivered rotorcraft to customers across 56 nations.
Swiss Air Forceutility helicopterManufacturerAérospatialeEurocopterAirbus HelicoptersFrench Air and Space ForceCHC HelicopterBabcock Mission Critical Services OffshoreHellenic Air ForceSpanish Air and Space ForceAérospatiale SA 330 PumaEurocopter AS532 CougarEurocopter EC225 Super Pumacomposite materialsTurbomeca Makilaturboshaftstreamlinedmaiden flightFrench ArmyMiddle EastIndonesiaPT Dirgantara Indonesialicense to produceoil rigsaerial firefightingAS532 CougarParis Air ShowTurbomeca Turmoundercarriagerotor bladesIndonesian Aerospaceunder licensesearch-and-rescueantisubmarine warfareNHIndustries NH90Mil Mi-17BrasovRomaniahydraulicalternatorstricycle landing gearplug doorsflotation gearbuoyancyflight control systemservo unitsautopilotliquid crystal displaysflight management systemsglobal positioning systemscollision warning systemnight-vision gogglesradiosantisurface warfarecorrosionsearch radarExocetanti-ship missilesRwandan genocideRwandaMarignaneDopplerdata linkelectronic countermeasuresCold WarIndonesian Air ForceSikorsky S-58TSwitzerlandintelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissanceGreeceWar in AfghanistanSwedish Air ForceSikorsky UH-60M Black HawkNigeriaNiger DeltaNigerian Air ForceBoko HaramAB-205Imia/KardakAegean SeaAthens 2004 Olympic GamesSpanish Air ForceHerat Provincecombat SARBrazilian Air ForcePresident of BrazilFrançois MitterrandGordon BrownNorth Seaoil industryBristow HelicoptersCHC HelicoptersIndonesianoil explorationPetrobrasBrazilCITIC Offshore HelicopterFederal PoliceFinnish Border Guardforward-looking infraredArgentinaSingaporeDefense Minister of FranceAzerbaijanAzerbaijan AirlinesCanadaGermanyGerman Federal PoliceHellenic Fire ServiceHong KongGovernment Flying ServiceIcelandL.A. County Sheriff's DepartmentIcelandic Coast GuardCoast GuardTokyo Fire DepartmentNorwayLufttransportSerbiaSerbian PoliceUkraineState Emergency Service of UkraineUnited KingdomBond Offshore HelicoptersCHC Scotia