Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma

Overview

The Airbus Helicopters H215 (formerly Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma) is a four-bladed, twin-engined, medium-sized, utility helicopter developed and initially produced by French aerospace company Aérospatiale. It has been subsequently manufactured by the successor companies Eurocopter and Airbus Helicopters. The Super Puma is a re-engined and larger version of the original Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma. The Super Puma was developed during the 1970s, based on the successful SA 330 Puma. While retaining a similar layout, the fuselage was redesigned to increase its damage tolerance and crashworthiness, and composite materials were more extensively used. A pair of more powerful Turbomeca Makila turboshaft engines was used, the nose was more streamlined, and there were other changes. Two alternative fuselage lengths, a shortened and stretched form, were developed from the onset. On 5 September 1977, the SA 331 preproduction prototype performed its maiden flight; the first true Super Puma made its first flight roughly one year later. By 1980, the Super Puma had succeeded the SA 330 Puma as Aérospatiale's principal utility helicopter. The Super Puma quickly proved itself to be a commercial success for both military and civilian customers. The French Army was a keen early customer, using the type in its new rapid-response task force, and routinely dispatching Super Pumas to support France's overseas engagements in Africa and the Middle East. The Indonesian state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia manufactured the model under license. In the civilian sector, it has been heavily used to support offshore oil rigs and aerial firefighting. Since 1990, Super Pumas in military service have been marketed under the AS532 Cougar name. In civilian service, a next-generation successor to the AS 332 was introduced in 2004, the further-enlarged Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma.