French SA-330 ''Puma'' Helicopter

By Crusader1307

The French SA-330 ''Puma'' was first designed in 1965 – with deployment beginning in 1968. It was a staple Medium Transport-Utility Helicopter which had seen active combat roles in many Wars. The ''Puma'' was (and still is) a major export to many Foreign Militaries. Capable of deploying up to 20 soldiers in full combat gear, The SA-330 would eventually be licensed to Eurocopter. The French Army, original procurement Contractors, finally phased out The ''Puma'' beginning in 2010. The SA-330 served in not only Transport and Utility duties, but was incorporated into Search and Rescue roles and civilian operations as well. Over (20) variants have been produced. The ''Puma'' is crewed by (3). The Helio is 60-feet long with a height of 17-feet. The SA-330 was powered by (2) Turbomeca IVC Turboshafts (4) Rotors. The Engines could produce over 1,500-HP each. The ''Puma'' was rated at 170-mph and had an operational Mission range of 360-mile. The operational ceiling is 16,000-feet. The ''Puma'' can carry over 16,000-pounds of cargo. Armament varies with the standard 7.62mm Coaxial (variable mounted) Machine Guns, (1) 20mm Side (Fuselage) Cannon and multiple Rocket or Missile Pod packages.