Eurocopter Puma, Super Puma, Cougar Transport helicopter

he Aerospatiale (now Eurocopter} Puma is a medium-lift transport helicopter, designed to a French army specification, 2nd is in service with air arms around the globe, The basic Puma which first flew in April 1965 carries 15 fully-equipped troops or 2 tonnes of internal cargo (2.5 tonnes under­slung). Inftia military versions comprised; SA 330B for the ALAT (Aviation Legere de I’Armee de Terre), SA 330C for military export and SA 330E (RAF Puma HC. Mk 1) Availability of uprated Turmo IVC engines in 1974 better equipped the Puma for ‘hot – and-high’ operations and the French air force oought~37 of the resulting military SA 330H var ant as SA 330Bas. Glass-f’bre mtors became available n 1977, uprating the H to SA 330L standard.

In 1978 Aerospatiale introduced the SA 332 Super Puma, re-engined with pa r of more powerful Tumomeca Makila 1A turboshafts. The initial тііітагу version, the AS 332B. was no larger than the orig nal Purr, a, but n 1979 1he AS 332M (military) introduced a 76-cm (30-in) increase in cabin length.

In the ate 1980s, the basic military Super Puma was split along two lines, the AS 332 Ml Super Puma Mk I and the AS 332M2 Super Puma Mk II he M.< was an AS 332M (stretched AS 332B) fitted with the Makila 1A1 engines. The Mk II was stretched again, by a further 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in). In 1990, the military line was reorganised once more, as the AS 532 Cougar Versions included the AS 532UC (formerly AS 332B1), a short-fuse, age
transport; AS 532UL (formerly AS 332M11 basic Transport; AS 532AC, armed version of the AS 532UC; AS 532AL, armed version of the AS 532UL. A soecialised naval version of the long-fuselage AS 332F1 was CSveloped as the AS 532SC, with the Royal Saudi Navy as its launch customer. This version could be armed with Exocet anti-ship missiles. French Army Aviation has developed a version of the AS 532UL to carry its Horizon battlefield surveillance radar.

The AS 532U2 (formerly AS 322M2) was the stretched, up-engined military transport version, while the AS 532A2 Cougar Mk II was its armed derivative. The AS 532A2 s tne basic airfranve used for the French air force’s new RESCO Combat Search and Rescue helicopter,

The firal (basic) Cougar variant was developed in 1997. This was tne AS 532UB Cougar 100, a sim­plified ‘low cost’ basic transport version witnout the externa! sponsons, revised main undercarriage struts erd a new systems fit. An armed version was designated the AS 532AB

Specification; Eurocopter AS 532A2 Cougar Powerplant two 1235-kW 11,657 hp) ТигЬотбоа Makila 1A2 turoosliafts Dimensions: main rotor diameter 16.20 m (53 ft 1У in); length overall, rotors turning ‘9.5 in (03 It V in) and fuselage ‘5.79 m (55 ft A in); height overall 4.97 n П 0 ft 4 in) Weights: empty 5П12 kg |11,05(1 lh); maximum take-off 11340 kg (25,Out) lb| Performance: тахітіїїт cruising speed 277 kmh (172 mph). maximum rate of climb at sea level 441 m (1,447 ft) ner minute; service cei ing 5’ 80 m {17,090 ft); hovering celling 2699 m (8.320 fll in ground effect and 1=00 n (B,24G ft| nut nf ground efffic:; mnge 926 km (575 mites)