Aerospatiale SA-330 Puma
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a twin-engine, four-bladed medium transport helicopter developed by Sud Aviation for a French Army requirement to carry up to 20 troops in all weather, first flying in April 1965. Aerospatiale built 697 through 1987, and Romania's IAR produced over a hundred more under license, while the type also entered British service as the RAF's Puma HC Mk1. It was Europe's best-selling transport helicopter through much of the 1970s and set the template for its successors, the AS332 Super Puma and AS532 Cougar, which remain in production.
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Did you know?
Britain and Argentina both flew Pumas during the 1982 Falklands War, a rare case of the same helicopter type facing itself in combat.
Specifications
| Length | 14.1 m (46 ft) |
|---|---|
| Height | 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 16 |
| Persons on board | 18 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 7.4 t |
| Range | 300 NM (556 km) |
| Service ceiling | 15,750 ft (4,801 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 8,000 ft (2,438 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,400 ft/min (7.1 m/s) |
| Fuel capacity | 1,540 l |
| Engines | 2x Turbomeca Turmo IVC |
| Units built | 697 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
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