Airbus AS332 Super Puma

Airbus Helicopters · France · first flew 1978 · helicopter

The AS332 Super Puma is a twin-turbine medium-lift helicopter developed from the SA 330 Puma, long a mainstay of offshore crew transport.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Long fuselage with a row of large square offshore cabin windows
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Sponson-mounted retractable wheeled landing gear (not skids)
Four-blade main rotor with a five-blade tail rotor
Long fuselage with a row of large square offshore cabin windows

Look for the bulky medium-lift fuselage on sponson-mounted retractable wheels, the four-blade main rotor and five-blade tail rotor, and the air-intake deflectors above the nose.

Specifications

The Airbus AS332 Super Puma has a length of 18.7 m (61 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.08 m (49 ft).
Its maximum speed is 278 km/h (173 mph).
Typical crew: 2 pilots.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Aerospatiale developed the Super Puma from the earlier Puma, with a stretched fuselage, uprated Makila engines and improved rotors. The prototype flew in 1978 and the type entered service in the early 1980s.

Variants

Civil versions include the AS332L, the AS332L1 and the further-stretched AS332L2 carrying up to 24 passengers. The line evolved into the EC225/H225 and the military AS532 Cougar and EC725 Caracal.

Where you'll see it

It is strongly associated with UK North Sea oil and gas, where Bristow operated a fleet of Aberdeen-based 'Tigers' carrying crews to distant rigs. The family has also seen extensive military and SAR use, though North Sea passenger confidence was shaken by EC225 ditchings in the 2010s.

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