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The
Aérospatiale Puma is a medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility
helicopter. It is also known under the designation SA 330.
The SA 330 Puma was originally developed by Sud Aviation to meet a
requirement of the French Army for a medium-sized all-weather
helicopter. The helicopter also had to be capable of operating by day
and night as well as in a wide variety of climates.
In 1967, the Puma was also selected by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and
given the designation Puma HC Mk.1.
As a result of this decision, the SA 330 was included in a joint
production agreement between Aerospatiale and Westland Helicopters of
the UK.
The first of two Puma prototypes flew on 15 April 1965. Six
pre-production models were also built, the last of which flew on 30
July 1968.
Production of the SA 330 Puma by Aérospatiale ceased in 1987, by which
time a total of 697 had been sold. The Puma was then replaced by an
upgraded and improved version, the AS 332 Eurocopter Super Puma.
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SA-330 PUMA Specifications |
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Type |
Medium
Utility Helicopter |
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Manufacturer |
Aerospatiale/Westland Aircraft |
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Accommodation |
Crew 3 (two pilots and one
loadmaster/winchman. Up to 16 passengers |
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Armament |
Pintle mounted 7.62mm machine guns,
Side-firing 20mm cannon |
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Performance |
Max
Speed 177mph (258km/h) |
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Main Rotor Diameter |
49ft (15m) |
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Length |
59ft 6in (18.15m) |
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Height |
16 ft 10in (5.1m) |
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Weight |
max take off weight
16,300lb (3,700kg) |
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Powerplant |
2 × Turbomeca Turmo IVC turboshafts,
producing 1,575shp (1,175kW) each |
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Variants |
Number of civil and
military variants |
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