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By
Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Super_Puma
The Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-size utility helicopter marketed for both civil and military use. Originally designed and built by Aérospatiale, it is an enlarged and re-engined version of the original Aérospatiale Puma. The Super Puma first flew on 13 September 1978.
Design and development
The type has proved immensely successful, chosen by 37 military forces around the world, and some 1,000 civil operators. The Super Puma has proved especially well-suited to the North Sea oil industry, where it is used to ferry personnel and equipment to and from oil platforms. In civilian configuration it can seat approximately 18 passengers and two crew, though since the early 2000s most oil companies have banned use of the middle-rear seat reducing effective capacity to 17+2. This down-rating is due to difficulties encountered in evacuating through the rear-most windows in crashes at sea.
A wide variety of specialised military variants are in use, including dedicated Search and rescue and ASW versions. Since 1990, military Super Pumas have been marketed as the AS532 Cougar.
Variants
- AS 331 - Prototype.
- AS 332A - Commercial pre-production version.
- AS 332B - Military version.
- AS 332B1 - First military version.
- AS 332C - Production civil version.
- AS 332C1 - Search and rescue version, equipped with a search radar and six stretchers.
- AS 332F - Military anti-submarine and anti-ship version.
- AS 332F1 - Naval version.
- AS 332L - Civil version with uprated engines, a lengthened fuselage and more cabin space, plus increased fuel.
- AS 332L1 - Stretched civil version, with a long fuselage and an airline interior.
- AS 332L2 Super Puma Mk 2 - Civil transport version, fitted with Spheriflex rotor head and EFIS.
- AS 332M - Military version of the AS 332L.
- AS 332M1 - Stretched military version.
- NAS 332 - Licensed version built by IPTN, now Indonesian Aerospace (PT. Dirgantara Indonesia).
Operators
Civilian
 Australia
 Azerbaijan
 Brazil
 Germany
 Finland
 Norway
 Canada
 Hong Kong
 Iceland
 Japan
 Malaysia
- Malaysia Helicopter Services - chartered by PETRONAS for its upstream operations offshore the states of Terengganu and Sarawak.
 Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
 Morocco
 United Kingdom
Military
 Argentina
- Brazil
 Chile
 China
 Ecuador
 Greece
 Indonesia
 Kuwait
 Mexico
 Nigeria
 Oman
 Panama
 Saudi Arabia
 Singapore
-
 Spain
 Switzerland
 Sweden
 Thailand
 Venezuela
 Vietnam
Notable accidents and incidents
- 19 January 1995 - G-TIGK Operated by Bristow Helicopters ditched in the North Sea. No Fatalities. Aircraft lost.
- 8 September 1997 - LN-OPG, an AS332 L1 operated by Helikopter Service AS from Brønnøysund to the Norne oil field suffered a catastrophic main gearbox failure and crashed, killing all 12 aboard. Eurocopter accepted some but not all of the AAIB/N recommendations.
- 21 November 2006 - A Eurocopter AS332 L2 search and rescue helicopter ditched in the North Sea. The aircraft was equipped with two automatic inflatable life rafts, but both failed to inflate. The Dutch Safety Board afterwards issued a warning.
- 1 April 2009 - G-REDL a AS332L2 belonging to Bond Offshore Helicopters with 16 people on board, crashed into the North Sea 13 miles off Crimond on the Aberdeenshire coast. There were no survivors.The AAIB's initial report found that the crash was caused by a "catastrophic failure" in the aircraft's main rotor gearbox epicyclic module..
Specifications (AS332 L1)Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 19
- Length: 16.29 m (blades folded) (53.44 ft)
- Rotor diameter: ()
- Height: 4.80 m (15.09 ft)
- Empty weight: 4,500 kg (9,920 lb)
- Useful load: 4,100 kg (9,040 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 8,600 kg (18,960 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft, 1,300 kW (1,742 shp) each
Performance
Specifications (AS332 L2)Data from
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 24
- Length: 16.3 m (53 ft 5 in)
- Rotor diameter: 15.6 m (51 ft 2 in)
- Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
- Disc area: 191 m² (2,056 ft²)
- Empty weight: 4,460 kg (9,812 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 9,300 kg (18,940 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Turbomeca Makila 1A2 turboshaft, 1,357 kW (1,819 shp) each
Performance
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
External links
Text from Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Published in July 2009.
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