H215M / AS532 Cougar

The Airbus Helicopters H215M, formerly the Eurocopter AS532 Cougar, is a twin-engine medium multipurpose military helicopter developed by Eurocopter of France. Derived from the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, it performs troop transport, armed support, search and rescue, and naval warfare duties, and is the military counterpart of the civil AS332 Super Puma (later H215). It is widely operated across Europe, South America and the Middle East, and has been further developed into the Eurocopter EC225M.

Development

The AS332 Super Puma was designed as a growth version of the SA 330 Puma and first flew in September 1977. It introduced two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines of 1,330 kW, composite main rotor blades, revised landing gear and a modified tailfin. In 1990 all military Super Puma designations were changed from AS332 to AS532 Cougar to separate them from the civil line. Canada evaluated the Cougar as a replacement for the CH-113 Labrador but selected the CH-149 Cormorant instead. In 2012 France launched a €288.8 million programme, €11.1 million per aircraft, to upgrade 23 Army and 3 Air Force Cougars, addressing obsolescence and aligning avionics with its EC225 and EC725 fleet.

Design

The AS532 UB has a length of 15.53 m, a height of 4.92 m and a main rotor diameter of 15.6 m with a disc area of 206 m². Empty weight is 4,350 kg and maximum take-off weight 9,000 kg. Power comes from two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshafts rated at 1,357 kW each, giving a maximum speed of 249 km/h, a cruise speed of 239 km/h, a never-exceed speed of 278 km/h, a range of 573 km and a service ceiling of 3,450 m. The crew is two, with capacity for 20 troops or a 4,650 kg payload; all versions can sling-load 4.5 tonnes. The AS532 UL can carry the Horizon battlefield ground surveillance system, while the naval AS532 SC can mount a variable-depth sonar and the ASIST deck handling system for recovery, securing and traversing in high sea states.

Armament

The AS532 AL can be fitted with pod-mounted 20 mm cannon, 68 mm rocket launchers and side-mounted rapid-fire machine guns. The naval AS532 SC carries AM 39 Exocet missiles for anti-surface warfare and torpedoes for anti-submarine work.

Operational History

Operators include the armed forces of Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Ecuador, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Venezuela, plus the Kurdistan Region's Counter Terrorism Group; Zimbabwe is a former operator. On 4 June 1997 a Turkish Cougar was shot down by a 9K32 Strela-2 near the Zap region during operations against the PKK, killing 11. Turkish losses continued with crashes in 2003, 2017 and 2021, the last killing 11 including Lt. Gen. Osman Erbaş. On 25 July 2012 an aircraft destined for Albania crashed on a test flight in the Verdon Gorge, killing six company personnel. On 25 November 2019 a French Cougar collided with a Tiger in northern Mali, killing 13.

Variants

• AS532 UL: Long-fuselage utility version seating 29 troops or six stretcher cases plus ten seated, optionally with the Horizon surveillance system.
• AS532 AL: Armed long-fuselage version fitted with cannon pods, rocket launchers and side-mounted machine guns.
• AS532 SC: Naval version for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue and sea patrol.
• AS535: Combat search and rescue proposal for French requirements, rejected in favour of the EC725.
• HM-3: Brazilian Army designation for the AS532M1.