IAR 330

Industria Aeronautică Română · Romania · first flew 1975 · helicopter

The IAR 330 is the Romanian licence-built version of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, a twin-turboshaft medium utility helicopter produced by Industria Aeronautică Română from the mid-1970s.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Distinctive wide fuselage with large clamshell rear doors
T — Tail	Conventional

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Romanian licence-built Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma
Twin-turboshaft medium utility helicopter
Distinctive wide fuselage with large clamshell rear doors

Essentially identical to the Puma externally — a large, slab-sided fuselage, four-blade main rotor, and a five-blade tail rotor; Romanian markings and SOCAT stub wings differentiate local variants.

Specifications

The IAR 330 has a length of 18.15 m (60 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15 m (49 ft).
Its maximum speed is 257 km/h (160 mph).
Typical crew: 2 pilots + up to 20 troops.

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

History

Romania negotiated a licence agreement with Aérospatiale in the 1970s, with the IAR 330 entering production and first flying in Romania in 1975. The type equipped the Romanian Air Force and was also exported; IAR produced several hundred examples.

Variants

Variants include the basic IAR 330L utility transport and the IAR 330H/SOCAT armed helicopter with night-vision systems and stub-wing weapon stations developed in the 1990s.

Where you'll see it

The IAR 330 remains the backbone of Romanian Air Force rotary-wing transport and combat-support operations, with the SOCAT variant providing a light attack capability.

Related aircraft

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