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 military version is the Airbus Helicopters H215M, previously known as the Eurocopter AS532 Cougar.
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 then-new rapid-response task force, and routinely dispatching Super Pumas to support France's overseas engagements in Africa and the Middle East. From 1990, Super Pumas in military service were marketed under the AS532 Cougar name.
In the civilian sector, it has been heavily used to support offshore oil rigs and aerial firefighting. A next-generation successor to the AS 332 was introduced in 2004, the further-enlarged Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma for civilian use and EC225M for militaries.
Development
Origins
During 1974, Aérospatiale commenced development of a new medium transport helicopter based on its successful SA 330 Puma. The project's existence was publicly announced at the 1975 Paris Air Show. While the new design retained a similar general layout to the preceding AS 330, it was powered by a pair of Turbomeca Makila turboshaft engines, which had recently been developed and were more powerful than the preceding Turbomeca Turmo. The rotorcraft's four-bladed main rotor was redesigned to make use of composite materials. The design team paid substantial attention to increasing the new model's damage resistance; a more robust fuselage structure and a new crashworthy undercarriage were adopted, the rotor blades are able to withstand some battle damage, and various other key mechanical systems were modified.Jackson 1984, pp. 7–10.
External features that distinguish the new helicopter from the SA 330 include a ventral fin underneath the tail boom and a more streamlined nose.Lake 2002, p. 82. From the project's onset, it had been planned for the new rotorcraft to be available in two fuselage lengths: a short-fuselage version with similar capacity to the SA 330 while providing superior performance under "hot and high" conditions, and a stretched version which allowed more internal cargo or passengers to be carried in circumstances where overall weight was deemed to be less critical.Jackson 1984, p. 11.
On 5 September 1977, a preproduction prototype, the SA 331, modified from a SA 330 airframe by the addition of Makila engines and a new gearbox, performed its maiden flight.Jackson 1984, p.10. The first prototype of the full Super Puma made its first flight on 13 September 1978, and was quickly followed by a further five prototypes. Flight testing found that the AS 332 Super Puma had a higher cruise speed and more range than the SA 330 Puma, in part due to the Makila engine providing greater power output, and also a 17% reduction in fuel consumption. The Super Puma was also far more stable in flight, and was less reliant on automated corrective systems.Lambert 1979, pp. 437, 439. The development of military and civilian variants was carried out in parallel, including at the certification stage.Lambert 1979, p. 437. During 1981, the first civil Super Puma was delivered.Endres and Gething 2005, p. 272.
Production and improvements By 1980, the AS 332 Super Puma had replaced the preceding SA 330 Puma as Aérospatiale's principal utility helicopter.McGowen 2005, p. 194. It quickly proved to be highly popular amongst its customers; between July 1981 and April 1987, on average, three helicopters per month were being built for operators from both the military and civilian sectors.Sedbon, Gary. "Aerospatiale develops Super Puma II." Flight International, 18 April 1987. p. 12. The success of the AS 332 Super Puma led to the pursuit of additional development programs that produced further advanced models. These included the introduction of features including lengthened rotor blades, more powerful engines and gearboxes, increases in takeoff weight, and modernised avionics. Overseas manufacturing was established; Indonesian Aerospace (IPTN) produced both the SA 330 and AS 332 under license from Aerospatiale; IPTN-build rotorcraft were produced for both domestic and some overseas customers.
A wide variety of specialised Super Puma variants followed the basic utility transport model into operation, including dedicated search-and-rescue (SAR) and antisubmarine warfare (ASW) versions. Since 1990, military-orientated Super Pumas have been marketed under the AS532 Cougar name. As a fallback option to the NHIndustries NH90 programme, a Mark III Super Puma was considered for development at one stage. By 2005, various models of Super Puma had been operated by numerous customers across 38 nations for a wide variety of purposes.McGowen 2005, p. 195. 565 Super Pumas (including military-orientated Cougars) had been delivered or were on order at this time.Endres and Gething 2005, p. 487.
During February 2012, Eurocopter announced that it was offering a lower-cost basic Super Puma configuration that would be more competitive with rivals such as the Russian-built Mil Mi-17.Pyadushkin, Maxim and Robert Wall. "Mil Mi-171, Super Puma To Do Battle." Aviation Week, 13 February 2012. Starlite Aviation became the launch customer for this new variant, designated AS 332 C1e.Noyé, Régis. "Starlite: Launch Customer for the New AS 332 C1e Super Puma." Airbus Helicopters, May 2013. In November 2015, Airbus Helicopters announced that manufacturing activity of the AS 332 Super Puma, which was redesignated H215, would be transferred to a new purpose-built final-assembly facility in Brasov, Romania"Romania to host production of new, robust, and cost-effective H215 heavy helicopter." Airbus Helicopters, 17 November 2015. to cut production time and cost by simplifying production to a single baseline configuration that would then be customised to meet the needs of civilian and military customers.Perry, Dominic. "Airbus Helicopters to revive Romanian aircraft manufacturing." Flight International, 17 November 2015.
Design
The Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma is a medium-sized utility helicopter, powered by a pair of Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines, which drive the rotorcraft's four-bladed main rotor and five-bladed tail rotor along with a pair of independent hydraulic systems and a pair of electrical alternators. Fuel is housed across six internal fuel tanks, while additional auxiliary and external tanks can be equipped for extended flight endurance. For safety, the fuel tanks use a crashworthy plumbing design and fire-detection and suppression systems are installed in the engine bay. The monocoque tail boom is fitted with tail rotor strike protection; the forward portion of the boom also accommodates a luggage compartment. The retractable tricycle landing gear has been designed to provide high energy-absorption qualities."AS332 L1e Technical Data – 2015." Airbus Helicopters, 2015.
The main cabin of the Super Puma, which is accessed via a pair of sliding plug doors, features a reconfigurable floor arrangement that enables various passenger seating or cargo configurations to be adopted, which includes specialised configurations for medical operators. According to Airbus Helicopters, in addition to the two pilots, the short-fuselage AS332 can accommodate up to 15 passengers, while the stretched-fuselage AS332 increases this to 20 passengers in a comfortable configuration."Civil Range." Airbus Helicopters, 2015. Soundproof upholstery is installed, as is separately-adjustable heating and ventilation systems. In addition to the doors, 12 windows line the sides of main cabin area, these are jettisonable to become emergency exits if required. The lower fuselage can also be fitted with flotation gear to give the rotorcraft additional buoyancy. A hatch is set into the cabin floor which facilitates access to the cargo sling pole, in addition to individual stowage space for airborne equipment.
The flight control system of the Super Puma uses four dual-body servo units for pitch control of the cyclic, collective, and tail rotor. A duplex digital autopilot is also incorporated. The cockpit is equipped with dual flight controls. Principle instrumentation consists of four multifunction liquid crystal displays along with two display and autopilot control panels; for redundancy, a single integrated standby instrument system and vehicle monitoring system are also fitted. According to Airbus Helicopters, the avionics installed on later variants has ensured a high level of operational safety. Third-party firms have offered various upgrades for the Super Puma, including integrated flight management systems, global positioning systems receivers, a digital map display, flight data recorders, a collision warning system, night-vision goggles-compatibility, and multiple radios.Morris, John. "RUAG Aviation Shows Super Puma Upgrade." Aviation Week, 11 September 2012.Osborne, Tony. "Adding On Capabilities For Combat Helicopters In Europe." Aviation Week, 25 March 2013."CHC's Heli-One Group Awarded Swedish Military Super Puma Upgrade Contract." CHC Helicopters, 30 March 2006.
A marine variant of the Super Puma has been manufactured for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. In this configuration the Super Puma is modified with additional corrosion protection, a folding tail rotor boom, a deck-landing guidance system, sonar equipment, and the nose-mounted Omera search radar. For the anti-surface role, as of 1987 it could be armed with a pair of Exocet anti-ship missiles.
Operational history
In August 1983, the French government created a new rapid-response task force, the Force d'Action Rapide, to support France's allies and to contribute to France's overseas engagements in Africa and the Middle East; up to 30 Super Pumas were assigned to it.Chipman 1985, pp. 19–20. In June 1994, France staged a military intervention in the ongoing Rwandan genocide, dispatching a military task force to neighboring Zaire; Super Pumas provided the bulk of the task force's rotary-lift capability, transporting French troops and equipment during their advance into Rwanda.Charbonneau 2008, pp. 140–141.