AS332 Super Puma

AS332 Super Puma
Name	AS332 Super Puma
Caption	Super Puma in service
Role	Transport helicopter
Manufacturer	Aérospatiale / Eurocopter / Airbus Helicopters
First flight	13 September 1978
Introduced	1980s
Status	In service

AS332 Super Puma The AS332 Super Puma is a medium transport helicopter developed by Aérospatiale and later produced by Eurocopter and Airbus Helicopters. It entered service in the late 1970s and became a mainstay for French Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Danish Air Force, Brazilian Air Force, and numerous civil aviation operators for roles including troop transport, search and rescue, offshore support, and VIP transport.

Development and Design

Aérospatiale initiated the Super Puma program as an enlarged derivative of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, responding to requirements from the French Army and export customers such as the Norwegian Air Force and United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. Development milestones included wind tunnel testing at ONERA and prototype flight trials overseen by test pilots from the French Directorate General for Armament and manufacturers like Hélicoptères Guimbal. The design incorporated twin Turbomeca Turmo and later Turbomeca Makila turboshaft engines, a four-blade main rotor derived from collaborative work with British Aerospace and Sikorsky consultants, and avionics suites integrating systems from Thales Group, Honeywell, and Goodrich Corporation. Structural improvements used high-strength aluminium alloys and early composites from suppliers such as Composite Technologies and Hexcel. Certification followed procedures of the European Joint Aviation Authorities and later European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Variants and Modifications

The Super Puma family evolved into multiple variants: export models for the Brazilian Navy, Indonesian Army, and Royal Malaysian Air Force; upgraded tactical versions for the French Navy and Hellenic Air Force; and civil offshore editions for operators like CHC Helicopter, Bristow Helicopters, and Babcock International Group. Notable modifications included avionics packages from Garmin, Rockwell Collins, and Rohde & Schwarz, rotor blade upgrades by Dowty Rotol, navalization kits for ASW and SAR missions, and VIP interiors commissioned by governments such as Norway and Brazil. Industrial partnerships with British Aerospace, SNCASE, and SNCASO led to licensed production and localized maintenance support agreements with OGMA in Portugal and Helibras in Brazil.

Operational History

The Super Puma saw active deployment in diverse theaters including missions in Falklands War-era operations, Gulf War, peacekeeping deployments under United Nations mandates in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and humanitarian relief after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and 2010 Haiti earthquake. It served in counterinsurgency support for French forces in Operation Serval and Operation Barkhane and logistics flights for NATO contingents in Afghanistan and Iraq. Civil operators used the type for offshore platforms in the North Sea, supporting companies like BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies. Search and rescue units from HM Coastguard, Securitas, and national services such as Norwegian Air Ambulance and Portuguese Air Force employed the Super Puma in inland and maritime SAR.

Civil and Military Operators

Military operators have included the French Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Brazilian Air Force, Chilean Army, Egyptian Air Force, Indonesian Army Aviation, Malaysian Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, and Qatar Emiri Air Force. Civil operators encompassed CHC Helicopter, Bristow Helicopters, Heli-One, Babcock International Group, SAS, Air Greenland, Statoil (now Equinor), Pertamina, and national coast guards such as Norwegian Coast Guard and Icelandic Coast Guard. Maintenance, repair and overhaul providers included Airbus Helicopters Maintenance, OGMA, Helibras, ZF Luftfahrttechnik, and private MROs contracted by energy firms like ExxonMobil and Eni.

Specifications

General characteristics - Crew: typical crew configurations included pilots from organizations such as French Air Force training centers and Royal Air Force conversion units. - Capacity: troop and transport configurations for units like Royal Marines and Chilean Army; seating and cargo arrangements varied per operator contract with suppliers including Recaro and Zodiac Aerospace. - Powerplant: usually twin Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines or equivalents licensed through Safran collaborations. - Rotor system: four-blade main rotor with components from Dowty Propellers and rotor head designs influenced by research at Imperial College London and Cranfield University. Performance figures such as maximum speed, range, and service ceiling were published in type certificates issued by DGAC and EASA.

Accidents and Incidents

The Super Puma experienced several high-profile accidents involving operators such as CHC Helicopter, Bond Offshore Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters, and military units of Norway and France. Investigations were conducted by agencies including the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile, and national accident boards in Norway and Indonesia. Findings prompted airworthiness directives from EASA and enhanced maintenance programs by manufacturers and MROs like Airbus Helicopters Maintenance and OGMA, as well as operational changes by clients such as Equinor, Shell, and BP.

Category:Helicopters