The Eurocopter AS532 Cougar (now Airbus Helicopters H215M) is a twin-engine, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter developed by Eurocopter. The AS532 is a development and upgrade of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma in its militarized form. Its civilian counterpart is the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma (Later called the Airbus Helicopters H215, note the lack of M suffix). The AS532 has been further developed as the Eurocopter EC725.
The AS332 Super Puma, designed as a growth version to replace the SA 330 Puma, first flew in September 1977. It was fitted with two 1,330 kW Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines, composite rotor blades, improved landing gear and a modified tailfin.
In 1990 all military Super Puma designations were changed from "AS 332" to "AS 532 Cougar" to distinguish between the civil and military variants of the helicopter.
Canada had considered purchasing the Cougar to replace their CH-113 Labrador, but opted in the end to purchase the CH-149 Cormorant.[1] In 2012 France began a €288.8m project (€11.1m/unit) to upgrade 23 Army Cougars and 3 for the Air Force to address obsolescence issues and to deliver similar avionics to their EC225 and EC725 helicopters.[2]
The AS 532 UL/AL is the long version of the Cougar family and is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines. It carries a crew of 2 and up to 29 troops or 6 injured passengers on stretchers plus 10 others. As with the other versions of the Cougar, the AS 532 UL/AL can lift 4.5 tons by means of a sling. The Horizon battlefield ground surveillance system can be installed on the AS 532 UL (utility version). The AS 532 AL (armed version) can also be fitted with a variety of weapons, including pod-mounted 20 mm cannons, 68 mm rocket-launchers, and side-mounted rapid fire machine-guns.[3]
AS532 SC
The AS 532SC is the naval version of the Cougar family and is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines. This version is mainly used for Anti-surface unit warfare (ASUW), fitted with AM 39 Exocet missiles; Anti-submarine warfare (ASW), fitted with a variable-depth sonar and torpedoes; Search and rescue; and Sea patrols. For deck landing, securing at high sea states, maneuver and traverse this variant can be fitted with ASIST.[3]
AS535
It was variant offered to cover the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR or RESCO in French) needs of the French Army. The military preferred to acquire the improved version of the aircraft, the Eurocopter EC725 instead to fulfill this gap.[4]
On 4 June 1997, 11 military personnel were killed in Turkey when a Cougar helicopter was shot down with a 9K32 Strela-2 during an operation against the PKK near the Zap region, near Turkey's border with Iraq.
On 29 April 2003, 4 military personnel were killed when a Cougar helicopter crashed into power lines during a training flight, in Isparta Turkey.
On 25 July 2012, a Cougar helicopter during test flight has crashed in Southeastern France in a region called Verdon Gorge. The aircraft was bordered with test pilots and engineers of the manufacturer. The tragic incident killed 6 company personnel. The aircraft crashed was destined to the Albanian Armed Forces.[10][11]
On 1 June 2017, 13 military personnel were killed in Turkey when a Cougar helicopter crashed into power lines shortly after take-off from a base near Turkey's border with Iraq.[12][13]
On 25 November 2019, 13 French military personnel were killed in northern Mali when a Eurocopter Tiger helicopter collided with a Eurocopter AS532 Cougar.[14][15]
On 15 April 2020, a Cougar helicopter operated by the French Army crashed during a training exercise. The crash caused the death of 2 military personnel on board and injured other 5.[16][17]
On 4 March 2021 a Cougar helicopter crashed during severe weather conditions in eastern Turkey, killing 11 military personnel on board and injuring two others. The victims included Lt. Gen. Osman Erbas, a highly ranked army corps commander. Nine of the victims died at the crash site, while two died of their injuries in hospital.[18]
Specifications (AS532 UB)edit
Orthographically projected diagram of the AS332 Super Puma
Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory[19]
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Capacity: 20 troops / 4,650 kg (10,251 lb) payload
^"Canadian Air Force – CH-149 Cormorant Purchase and operation details". Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
^"Projet de loi de finances pour 2013 : Défense : équipement des forces" (in French). Senate of France. 22 November 2012. from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
^Goddard, Jacqueline (22 May 2019). "Explore Cougar Helicopters with Skycore Aviation - Skycore Aviation %". Skycore Aviation. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
^ abcdefghijklmno"World Air Forces 2019". Flightglobal Insight. 2019. from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
^"World's Air Forces 2004", Flight International, flightglobal.com, p. 59, from the original on 6 March 2016, retrieved 12 March 2013
^"Venezuela orders eight AS532 Cougars". HeliHub.com. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
^Emisiunea TV "Scutul Dobrogei" - 31 decembrie 2023 (in Romanian). Fortele Navale Române. 31 December 2023. Event occurs at 6:00 – via YouTube. Hotnews - On the 6th of March 2024 the acquisition of 2 H215M Anti-Naval helicopters for the sum of 165 million EUR was confirmed
^"World's Air Forces 2004", Flight International, flightglobal.com, p. 100, from the original on 1 February 2014, retrieved 12 March 2013
^"France helicopter crash kills six". BBC News. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
^"UPDATE 1-Six dead in helicopter crash in French Alps-police". Reuters. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
^13 dead in Turkish military helicopter crash. Deutsche Welle, 12 May 2017
^"Mali : treize militaires français tués dans l'accident de deux hélicoptères lors d'une opération de combat". France Bleu (in French). 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
^"French troops killed in helicopter crash in Mali". 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
^. Helicopter Industry. 16 April 2020. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
^. www.aerotime.aero. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
^11 killed in army helicopter crash in eastern Turkey. Canada CTV News, March 4, 2021
^Taylor, M J H, ed. (1999). Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000 Edition. Brassey's. ISBN1-85753-245-7.
Bibliographyedit
Endres, Günter G. and Michael J. Gething. Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide. HarperCollins UK, 2005. ISBN0-00718-332-1.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Airbus Helicopters H215M Cougar.
Airbus Helicopters AS532 ALe page
AS 532 U2/A2 Cougar Helicopter, Search and Rescue Variant Details
January 01, 1970
eurocopter, as532, cougar, confused, with, cougar, helicopters, airbus, helicopters, h215m, twin, engine, medium, weight, multipurpose, helicopter, developed, eurocopter, as532, development, upgrade, aérospatiale, puma, militarized, form, civilian, counterpart. Not to be confused with Cougar Helicopters The Eurocopter AS532 Cougar now Airbus Helicopters H215M is a twin engine medium weight multipurpose helicopter developed by Eurocopter The AS532 is a development and upgrade of the Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma in its militarized form Its civilian counterpart is the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma Later called the Airbus Helicopters H215 note the lack of M suffix The AS532 has been further developed as the Eurocopter EC725 AS532 CougarH215M Eurocopter AS532 of the French Army Role Medium utility military helicopter National origin France Manufacturer AerospatialeEurocopterAirbus Helicopters First flight September 1977 Introduction 1978 Status In service Primary users French Air ForceBulgarian Air ForceTurkish Air ForceRoyal Netherlands Air ForceRomanian Naval Forces Produced 1977 present Developed from Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma Variants Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma Developed into Eurocopter EC725 Contents 1 Design and development 2 Variants 3 Operators 3 1 Former operator 4 Accidents 5 Specifications AS532 UB 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Citations 7 2 Bibliography 8 External linksDesign and development editThe AS332 Super Puma designed as a growth version to replace the SA 330 Puma first flew in September 1977 It was fitted with two 1 330 kW Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines composite rotor blades improved landing gear and a modified tailfin In 1990 all military Super Puma designations were changed from AS 332 to AS 532 Cougar to distinguish between the civil and military variants of the helicopter Canada had considered purchasing the Cougar to replace their CH 113 Labrador but opted in the end to purchase the CH 149 Cormorant 1 In 2012 France began a 288 8m project 11 1m unit to upgrade 23 Army Cougars and 3 for the Air Force to address obsolescence issues and to deliver similar avionics to their EC225 and EC725 helicopters 2 Variants editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2012 Learn how and when to remove this message nbsp An Ecuadorian Army Cougar AS532 UL AL The AS 532 UL AL is the long version of the Cougar family and is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines It carries a crew of 2 and up to 29 troops or 6 injured passengers on stretchers plus 10 others As with the other versions of the Cougar the AS 532 UL AL can lift 4 5 tons by means of a sling The Horizon battlefield ground surveillance system can be installed on the AS 532 UL utility version The AS 532 AL armed version can also be fitted with a variety of weapons including pod mounted 20 mm cannons 68 mm rocket launchers and side mounted rapid fire machine guns 3 AS532 SC The AS 532SC is the naval version of the Cougar family and is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines This version is mainly used for Anti surface unit warfare ASUW fitted with AM 39 Exocet missiles Anti submarine warfare ASW fitted with a variable depth sonar and torpedoes Search and rescue and Sea patrols For deck landing securing at high sea states maneuver and traverse this variant can be fitted with ASIST 3 AS535 It was variant offered to cover the Combat Search and Rescue CSAR or RESCO in French needs of the French Army The military preferred to acquire the improved version of the aircraft the Eurocopter EC725 instead to fulfill this gap 4 Operators edit nbsp A Chilean Navy AS 532 nbsp Albania Albanian Air Force 5 nbsp Brazil Brazilian Army 5 nbsp Bulgaria Bulgarian Air Force 5 nbsp Chile Chilean Army 5 Chilean Navy 5 nbsp France French Army 5 nbsp Bulgarian Eurocopter Cougar nbsp A French Army AS532 Cougar nbsp Germany German Air Force 6 nbsp Netherlands Royal Netherlands Air Force 5 nbsp Saudi Arabia Royal Saudi Air Force 5 Royal Saudi Navy 5 nbsp Slovenia Slovenian Air Force 5 nbsp Spain Spanish Army 5 nbsp Switzerland Swiss Air Force 5 nbsp Turkey nbsp Eurocopter Cougar of the Slovenian Air Force Turkish Air Force 5 Turkish Army 5 nbsp Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Air Force 5 nbsp Venezuela Venezuelan Air Force 7 nbsp Romania Romanian Naval Forces 8 Former operator edit nbsp Zimbabwe Air Force of Zimbabwe 9 Accidents editOn 4 June 1997 11 military personnel were killed in Turkey when a Cougar helicopter was shot down with a 9K32 Strela 2 during an operation against the PKK near the Zap region near Turkey s border with Iraq On 29 April 2003 4 military personnel were killed when a Cougar helicopter crashed into power lines during a training flight in Isparta Turkey On 25 July 2012 a Cougar helicopter during test flight has crashed in Southeastern France in a region called Verdon Gorge The aircraft was bordered with test pilots and engineers of the manufacturer The tragic incident killed 6 company personnel The aircraft crashed was destined to the Albanian Armed Forces 10 11 On 1 June 2017 13 military personnel were killed in Turkey when a Cougar helicopter crashed into power lines shortly after take off from a base near Turkey s border with Iraq 12 13 On 25 November 2019 13 French military personnel were killed in northern Mali when a Eurocopter Tiger helicopter collided with a Eurocopter AS532 Cougar 14 15 On 15 April 2020 a Cougar helicopter operated by the French Army crashed during a training exercise The crash caused the death of 2 military personnel on board and injured other 5 16 17 On 4 March 2021 a Cougar helicopter crashed during severe weather conditions in eastern Turkey killing 11 military personnel on board and injuring two others The victims included Lt Gen Osman Erbas a highly ranked army corps commander Nine of the victims died at the crash site while two died of their injuries in hospital 18 Specifications AS532 UB edit nbsp Orthographically projected diagram of the AS332 Super Puma Data from Brassey s World Aircraft amp Systems Directory 19 General characteristicsCrew 2 Capacity 20 troops 4 650 kg 10 251 lb payload Length 15 53 m 50 ft 11 in Height 4 92 m 16 ft 2 in Empty weight 4 350 kg 9 590 lb Max takeoff weight 9 000 kg 19 842 lb Powerplant 2 Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines 1 357 kW 1 820 hp each Main rotor diameter 15 6 m 51 ft 2 in Main rotor area 206 m2 2 220 sq ft Performance Maximum speed 249 km h 155 mph 134 kn Cruise speed 239 km h 149 mph 129 kn Never exceed speed 278 km h 173 mph 150 kn Range 573 km 356 mi 309 nmi Service ceiling 3 450 m 11 320 ft Rate of climb 7 2 m s 1 420 ft min See also edit nbsp Aviation portal Related development Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma Eurocopter EC725 Aircraft of comparable role configuration and era Mil Mi 38 Mil Mi 17 NHIndustries NH90 Sikorsky S 92 Sikorsky UH 60 Black Hawk Related lists List of rotorcraftReferences editCitations edit Canadian Air Force CH 149 Cormorant Purchase and operation details Archived from the original on 21 June 2013 Retrieved 1 June 2017 Projet de loi de finances pour 2013 Defense equipement des forces in French Senate of France 22 November 2012 Archived from the original on 26 March 2013 Retrieved 7 November 2013 a b Endres and Gething 2005 p 487 Goddard Jacqueline 22 May 2019 Explore Cougar Helicopters with Skycore Aviation Skycore Aviation Skycore Aviation Retrieved 10 April 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o World Air Forces 2019 Flightglobal Insight 2019 Archived from the original on 23 January 2019 Retrieved 5 January 2019 World s Air Forces 2004 Flight International flightglobal com p 59 archived from the original on 6 March 2016 retrieved 12 March 2013 Venezuela orders eight AS532 Cougars HeliHub com 7 February 2011 Retrieved 25 February 2024 Emisiunea TV Scutul Dobrogei 31 decembrie 2023 in Romanian Fortele Navale Romane 31 December 2023 Event occurs at 6 00 via YouTube Hotnews On the 6th of March 2024 the acquisition of 2 H215M Anti Naval helicopters for the sum of 165 million EUR was confirmed World s Air Forces 2004 Flight International flightglobal com p 100 archived from the original on 1 February 2014 retrieved 12 March 2013 France helicopter crash kills six BBC News 25 July 2012 Retrieved 10 April 2021 UPDATE 1 Six dead in helicopter crash in French Alps police Reuters 25 July 2012 Retrieved 10 April 2021 Uludere Cougar Kazasi in Turkish 13 dead in Turkish military helicopter crash Deutsche Welle 12 May 2017 Mali treize militaires francais tues dans l accident de deux helicopteres lors d une operation de combat France Bleu in French 26 November 2019 Retrieved 26 November 2019 French troops killed in helicopter crash in Mali 26 November 2019 Retrieved 26 November 2019 French Army as532 Cougar crash during training Helicopter Industry 16 April 2020 Archived from the original on 10 April 2021 Retrieved 10 April 2021 French army helicopter crash kills two soldiers injures five www aerotime aero Archived from the original on 10 April 2021 Retrieved 10 April 2021 11 killed in army helicopter crash in eastern Turkey Canada CTV News March 4 2021 Taylor M J H ed 1999 Brassey s World Aircraft amp Systems Directory 1999 2000 Edition Brassey s ISBN 1 85753 245 7 Bibliography edit Endres Gunter G and Michael J Gething Jane s Aircraft Recognition Guide HarperCollins UK 2005 ISBN 0 00718 332 1 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Airbus Helicopters H215M Cougar Airbus Helicopters AS532 ALe page AS 532 U2 A2 Cougar Helicopter Search and Rescue Variant Details Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Eurocopter AS532 Cougar amp oldid 1214632924, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
