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IAR 330 Puma
Role	Utility/attack/naval helicopter
First flight	26 May 1998 (SOCAT)
Introduced	1999 (SOCAT)
Status	Operational
Primary users	Romanian Air Force; Romanian Navy
Number built	163+

The IAR 330 is the Romanian-built version of Aérospatiale's SA 330 Puma helicopter. Twenty-four helicopters have been recently upgraded to IAR 330 SOCAT in cooperation with Elbit Systems (Israel).^[1]

[edit] Design and development

According to the CFE treaty, Romania may have 120 attack helicopters in the inventory. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) decided that the procurement program in this field should include 96 dedicated attack helicopters, to be built by the Romanian aerospace industry under foreign license and 24 IAR-330L "Puma" upgraded with a suitable avionics package and new weapons system. Both program were intended to be developed by IAR S.A. Ghimbav-Braşov. The former was to be the ill-fated "Dracula" program, dropped in 1999.

A basic configuration was established in 1992 as Puma 2000. By the extension of this configuration, resulted the Antitank Optronic Search and Combat System (SOCAT) to be used as antitank gunship. The Israeli company Elbit Systems Ltd. was selected as foreign system supplier in 1994, and in September 1995, IAR S.A. signed the contract for the upgrade of 24 IAR-330L Puma with the SOCAT system. The program started in 1996, as a joint activity of the Romanian MoD, IAR S.A. and Elbit Systems. The first IAR-330 upgraded with SOCAT system, Black 28, made its maiden flight in the SOCAT configuration on 26 May 1998. On 23 October 1999, the second prototype of the IAR-330L Puma, upgraded with the SOCAT system and registered as Black 41, made its first flight from the airport of IAR S.A. from Ghimbav, near Braşov, Romania.^[2]

More than 163 of these helicopters have been built, out of which 104 were assigned to Romania's military, and 57 were produced for export (Pakistan, Ivory Coast, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Ecuador). There is also a SAR (search and rescue) version, fitted with inflatable floaters for emergency landing at sea, which has been built in a small batch. Production is still ongoing at the Industria Aeronautică Română Ghimbav plant near Braşov.

[edit] Naval version

IAR Puma NAVAL.

The first IAR 330 Puma NAVAL helicopter was officially unveiled at Ghimbav on 30 January 2007. The Romanian Naval Forces ordered 3 IAR 330 Naval helicopters, the last one should be commissioned early 2008. The helicopter is in a similar configuration to those of the Romanian Air Force, including the SOCAT upgrade package, the Navy Pumas also have flotation gear fitted under the nose and main undercarriage fairings. After completing factory tests and sea trials , they will be operated from Navy frigates for search and rescue, medevac and maritime surveillance missions.^[3]

Tail Wings of Pakistani Army's IAR-330 PUMA helicopters

[edit] Variants

IAR 330L :
IAR 330M :
IAR 330L SOCAT :
IAR 330 NAVAL :

[edit] Operators

Côte d'Ivoire
Ecuador
Pakistan
Romania

Sudan
United Arab Emirates

[edit] Notable incidents

Main article: 2007 Romanian Air Force IAR-330 SOCAT crash

An IAR 330 SOCAT helicopter crashed on November 7, 2007, in Ungheni, 30 km south of Piteşti, Argeş County, during a night training mission, killing all three crew members.^[4]

[edit] Specifications

Soldiers from the 1st Special Ops. Battalion boarding a IAR 330 helicopter.

Medevac version of the IAR 330

This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.

General characteristics

Crew: three
Length: 15.0 m (49 ft 2 in)
Rotor diameter: 16.2 m (53 ft 1 in)
Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Empty weight: 3,615 kg (7,970 lb)
Useful load: 1,000 kg (2,204lb)
Max takeoff weight: 7,400 kg (16,300 lb)
Powerplant: 2× TURMO IV B turboshafts, 1,044 kW (1,400 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 263 km/h (142 knots, 164 mph)
Range: 550 km (297 nm, 342 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,750 ft)

Armament

Puma

2 x 23mm single barrel NR-23 gun pods (on the sides of the nose) with 400 rounds each
LPR 57 unguided rocket launcher (4 hardpoints)
2 x 12.7mm caliber door mounted DShKM machine guns (usually only one mounted on the starboard side)
Malyutka wire guided ATGM (4 rails above the hardpoints, used only on trials)
50 or 100 kg bombs (4 hardpoints, used only on trials)

Puma SOCAT

Nexter THL-20 20mm chain gun (chin mounted) with 850 rounds
LPR 57 unguided rocket launcher (inner 2 hardpoints)
8 RAFAEL Spike-ER anti-tank guided missiles (outer 2 hardpoints)
Nexter NC-621 20mm gun pod with 180 rounds (outer 2 hardpoints, used only on trials)

[edit] See also

Related development

Aérospatiale Puma

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

List of helicopter models

[edit] References

^ IAR-330 Puma SOCAT
^ (Romanian) AeroNautic magazine, June 2007 issue, p. 40.
^ First IAR 330 Puma Naval helicopter enters Romanian Naval Forces service, Ziarul Financiar, July 12, 2007. Retrieved on July 20, 2008.
^ Helicopter crashed near Piteşti killing three people aboard, Antena 3, November 7, 2007.

[edit] External links

Official homepage of the Romanian Air Force

[0] IAR-330 Puma SOCAT

[1] (Romanian) AeroNautic magazine, June 2007 issue, p. 40.

[2] First IAR 330 Puma Naval helicopter enters Romanian Naval Forces service, Ziarul Financiar, July 12, 2007. Retrieved on July 20, 2008.

[3] Helicopter crashed near Piteşti killing three people aboard, Antena 3, November 7, 2007.

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