French Air and Space Force SA330 Retired

The French Air and Space Force retired the last five SA330 Puma helicopters of Air Base 367 "capitaine Francois Masse" in French Guiana on 31 July 2026, closing 47 years of Puma operations in the territory. The final sortie flew over the Guiana Space Centre and the Iles du Salut, escorted by a CASA transport and a Caracal. In service locally since 1979, the Pumas supported Operation Harpie against illegal gold mining and Operation Titan protecting the space centre, alongside medical evacuations and search and rescue over land and sea. Four H225M Caracal take over the same missions.