View source for Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma

{{Short description|1965 transport helicopter family by Sud Aviation}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = SA 330 Puma
| image = File:Puma - RIAT 2010 (cropped).jpg
| caption = A [[French Army]] Puma performing over [[RIAT]], 2010
| type = [[Utility helicopter]]
| national_origin = France
| manufacturer = [[Sud Aviation]]<br />[[Aérospatiale]]
| designer = 
| first_flight = 15 April 1965
| introduction = 1968
| retired = 
| status = In service
| primary_user = [[French Army]]
| more_users = [[Royal Air Force]] (until 2025)<br />[[Romanian Air Force]]<br />[[Pakistan Army]]
| produced = 1968–1987
| number_built = 697
| developed_from = <!-- the aircraft which formed the basis for the topic type -->
| variants = [[IAR 330]] <br /> [[Atlas Oryx]]
| developed_into = [[Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma]] <br /> [[Eurocopter AS532 Cougar]] <br /> [[Denel Rooivalk]]
}}

The '''Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma''' is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility [[helicopter]] designed and originally produced by the French aerospace manufacturer [[Sud Aviation]].

The Puma was developed as a new design during the mid-1960s in response to a [[French Army]] requirement for a medium-sized all-weather utility helicopter. Powered by a pair of [[Turbomeca Turmo]] [[turboshaft]] engines, it was designed to transport up to 16 seated soldiers, or a maximum of six [[Litter (rescue basket)|litter]]s with four attendants for casualty evacuation, along with carrying up to 2,500&nbsp;kg of cargo either internally or using an external sling. The design of the Puma incorporated several innovations, including an automatic [[Blade inspection method|blade inspection system]] and relatively advanced anti-vibration measures integrated into the main [[Transmission (mechanical device)|gearbox]] and main rotor blades. It was also designed to be capable of operating at night, under inhospitable flying conditions and in climates from [[Arctic]] to [[desert]]. The Puma also has an intentionally high level of reserve power to permit effective flight even at its maximum weight with only a single operational engine.

On 15 April 1965, the first [[prototype]] performed its [[maiden flight]]; the first production standard Puma made its first flight during September 1968. Deliveries to the French Army commenced in early 1969; the type quickly proved itself to be a commercial success. Production of the Puma continued into the 1980s under Sud Aviation's successor company [[Aérospatiale]]. It was also [[licensed production|license-produced]] in [[Romania]] as the [[IAR 330]]; two unlicensed derivatives, the [[Denel Rooivalk]] attack helicopter and [[Atlas Oryx]] utility helicopter, were built in [[South Africa]]. Several advanced derivatives have been developed, such as the [[Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma|AS332 Super Puma]] and [[Eurocopter AS532 Cougar|AS532 Cougar]], and have been manufactured by [[Eurocopter]] and its successor company [[Airbus Helicopters]] since the early 1990s. These descendants of the Puma remain in production.

Significant operations include the [[Gulf War]], the [[South African Border War]], the [[Portuguese Colonial War]], the [[Yugoslav Wars]], the [[Lebanese Civil War]], the [[Iraq War]], and the [[Falklands War]]. Numerous operators have chosen to modernise their fleets, often adding more capabilities and new features, such as [[glass cockpit]]s, [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) navigation, and defense measures. The type also saw popular use in the civilian field and has been operated by a number of civil operators. One of the largest civil operators of the Puma was [[Bristow Helicopters]], which regularly used it for off shore operations over the [[North Sea]].

==Development==
The SA 330 Puma was originally developed by [[Sud Aviation]] to meet a requirement of the [[French Army]] for a medium-sized all-weather helicopter capable of carrying up to 20 soldiers as well as various cargo-carrying duties. The choice was made to develop a new design for the helicopter, work began in 1963 with backing from the French government.<ref name="McGowen 123">McGowen 2005, p. 123.</ref> The first of two Puma prototypes flew on 15 April 1965; six further pre-production models were also built, the last of which flew on 30 July 1968. During testing, one SA 330 was fitted with a large [[Fenestron]]; however, it was concluded that there were practical limits to how large a helicopter such a configuration would be suited to, and production examples of the Puma retained a conventional tail rotor instead.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/AirbusHelicopters/videos/694418057348459/?hc_ref=ARTAGWQQfTudFLEVKsr5nAm5JWE9J_Q3SkUWKY0jhVSfX761KAMk90yHfPmIieuLrdA "Fenestron, the Origins: Episode One."] ''Airbus Helicopters'', 12 April 2018.</ref> The first production SA 330 Puma flew in September 1968, with deliveries to the French Army starting in early 1969.<ref name="Janes 76 p41">Taylor 1976, p. 41.</ref>

[[File:SA330BPuma2004.jpg|thumb|left|SA 330B Puma, 2004]]
In 1967, the Puma was selected by the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF), who were impressed by the Puma's performance. It was given the [[British military aircraft designation systems|designation]] ''Puma HC Mk 1''. A significant joint manufacturing agreement was signed between Aerospatiale and [[Westland Helicopters]] of the UK. The close collaboration between the French and British firms would lead to purchases of [[Aérospatiale Gazelle]] by the UK and the [[Westland Lynx]] by France. Under this agreement, Westland manufactured a range of components and performed the assembly of Pumas ordered by the RAF.<ref name="Variants p97-8">Lake 2001, pp. 97–98.</ref><ref>James 1991, pp. 485–486.</ref><ref>Frawley 1997, p. 13.</ref>
[[File:RAF Westland SA-330E Puma HC1.jpg|thumb|RAF Westland Puma, 1974]]
The SA 330 was a success on the export market, numerous countries purchased military variants of the Puma to serve in their armed forces; the type was also popularly received in the civil market, finding common usage by operators for transport duties to off-shore [[oil platform]]s.<ref>Green 1978, p. 70.</ref> Throughout most of the 1970s, the SA 330 Puma was the best selling transport helicopter being produced in Europe.<ref>Leishman 2006, p. 43.</ref> By July 1978, over 50 Pumas had already been delivered to civil customers, and the worldwide fleet had accumulated in excess of 500,000 operational hours.<ref>Lambert, Mark. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%201123.html "Aerospatiale chases civil helicopter sales."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516134132/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%201123.html |date=2013-05-16 }} ''Flight International'', 8 July 1978. p. 76.</ref>

[[Romania]] entered into an arrangement with Aerospatiale to produce the Puma under license as the [[IAR 330]], manufacturing at least 163 of the type for the Romanian armed forces, civil operators, and several export customers of their own.<ref name="McGowen 124">McGowen 2005, p. 124.</ref> [[Indonesia]] also undertook domestic manufacturing of the SA 330.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waldron |first=Greg |date=8 July 2011 |title=Eurocopter renews Indonesia partnership |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/eurocopter-renews-indonesia-partnership/101014.article |website=[[FlightGlobal]]}}</ref><ref>[http://www.eurocopter.com/site/en/ref/1965:-SA330_463-132.html "1965: SA330 Puma."]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305074146/http://www.eurocopter.com/site/en/ref/1965%3A-SA330_463-132.html |date=March 5, 2013 }} ''Eurocopter''. Retrieved 7 April 2013.</ref> [[South Africa]], a keen user of the type, performed their own major modification and production program conducted by the government-owned [[Atlas Aircraft Corporation]] to upgrade their own Pumas, the resulting aircraft was named [[Atlas Oryx|Oryx]]. In the 1990s, [[Denel]] would also develop an attack helicopter for the [[South African Air Force]] based on the Puma, known as the [[Denel Rooivalk]].<ref name="McGowen 124"/>

In 1974, Aerospatiale began development of improved Puma variants, aiming to produce a successor to the type; these efforts would cumulate in the [[AS332 Super Puma]]. The first prototype AS332 Super Puma took flight on 13 September 1978, featuring more powerful engines and a more aerodynamically efficient extended fuselage; by 1980, production of the AS332 Super Puma had overtaken that of the originating SA 330 Puma.<ref name="McGowen 154"/> Production of the SA 330 Puma by Aérospatiale ceased in 1987,<ref name="Variants p100">Lake 2001, p. 100.</ref> by which time a total of 697 had been sold;<ref name="Janes 88 p57">Taylor 1988, p. 57.</ref> production in Romania would continue into the 21st century.<ref name="McGowen 154">McGowen 2005, p. 154.</ref>

==Design==
[[File:West German SA 330 Puma cockpit.jpg|thumb|right|Instrument panel of an SA 330 Puma in service with the West German border police, 1985.]]
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a twin-engine helicopter principally intended for personnel transport and logistic support duties. As a troop carrier, up to 16 soldiers can be accommodated on foldable seats, while in a casualty evacuation configuration, the same cabin can hold up to six [[Litter (rescue basket)|litters]] and four additional personnel. The Puma can also perform cargo transport duties, either via the external carriage of underslung payloads on a dedicated [[Cargo hook (helicopter)|cargo hook]] or using the internal cabin space; up to a maximum weight of 2500&nbsp;kg of cargo can be carried at a time. Civilian Pumas feature a variety of cabin layouts, typically intended for various forms of passenger transport, including [[VIP]]s. In a search and rescue capacity, a [[Hoist (device)|hoist]] is commonly installed, often mounted on the starboard fuselage.<ref name="neal 814 815">Neal 1970, pp. 814–815.</ref>

A pair of roof-mounted [[Turbomeca Turmo]] [[turboshaft]] engines power the Puma's four-blade main rotor. The rotors are driven via a five reduction stage transmission at a typical speed of 265 [[revolutions per minute|rpm]]. The design of the transmission featured several unique and uncommon innovations for the time, such as single-part manufacturing of the rotor shaft and the anti-vibration measures integrated into the main [[Transmission (mechanical device)|gearbox]] and main rotor blades.<ref>Neal 1970, pp. 814–817.</ref> The Puma also featured an automatic [[Blade inspection method|blade inspection system]], which guarded against and alerted crews to fatigue cracking in the rotor blades. It is furnished with a pair of [[hydraulic]] systems that intentionally operate independently of one another, one system powering only the aircraft's flight controls while the other serves the [[autopilot]], [[landing gear|undercarriage]], and rotor brake, as well as the flight controls.<ref>Neal 1970, p. 817.</ref>

In terms of flight performance, the Puma was designed to be capable of high speeds, exhibit great maneuverability, and possess favourable hot-and-high performance; the engines have an intentionally high level of reserve power to enable a Puma to fly effectively even at maximum weight with only one functioning engine and proceed with its mission if circumstances require.<ref>Neal 1970, p. 814.</ref> The cockpit is provisioned with conventional dual controls for both a pilot and copilot, a third seat is provided in the cockpit for a reserve crew member or commander. The Puma features a SFIM-Newmark Type 127 electro-hydraulic autopilot; the autopilot is capable of [[Aircraft principal axes#Longitudinal axis (roll)|roll]] and [[Aircraft principal axes#Transverse axis (pitch)|pitch]] stabilization, the load hook operator can also directly perform corrective adjustments of the helicopter's position from their station via the autopilot.<ref>Neal 1970, p. 815.</ref>

The Puma is readily air-transportable by [[Airlift#Tactical airlift|tactical airlift]]ers, such as the [[Transall C-160]] and the [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]]; the main rotor, landing gear, and tailboom are all detachable to lower space requirements. Ease of maintenance was one of the objectives pursued in the Puma's design; many of the components and systems that would require routine inspection were positioned to be visible from ground level, use of life-limited components was minimised, and key areas of the mechanical systems were designed to be readily accessed.<ref name="neal 814 815"/> The Puma is also capable of operating at nighttime, in inhospitable flying conditions, or in a wide range of climates from [[Arctic]] to [[desert]] environments.<ref name="raf puma profile">[http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/puma.cfm "Puma HC1."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501002352/http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/puma.cfm |date=2013-05-01 }} ''Royal Air Force''. Retrieved 10 April 2013.</ref>

Although not included during the original production run, numerous operators of Pumas have installed additional features and modern equipment over the rotorcraft's service life. The RAF have equipped their Puma fleet with [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) navigation equipment, along with an assortment of [[Electronic countermeasure|self-defense measures]] including [[infrared countermeasure]]s and automatic [[Flare (countermeasure)|flares]]/[[Chaff (countermeasure)|chaff]] dispensers, and [[night vision goggle]]s for night-time flights.<ref name="raf puma profile"/> The [[French Army Light Aviation]] have modernised their Pumas to meet [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] standards, this involved the addition of new digital systems, including mission [[command and control]] systems, such as the Sitalat [[data link]].<ref>Lert, Frédéric. [http://www.janes.com/article/46451/france-trials-new-digital-helicopter-information-systems "France trials new digital helicopter information systems."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120002137/http://www.janes.com/article/46451/france-trials-new-digital-helicopter-information-systems |date=2015-01-20 }} ''IHS Jane's Defence Weekly'', 30 November 2014.</ref> Third-party companies such as South Africa's [[Thunder City]] have provided life extension and modernisation programmes for the Puma, some operators have opted to refurbish their fleets with [[glass cockpit]]s.<ref>Birns, Hilka. [http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/thunder-city-launches-puma-conversion-programme-317434/ "Thunder City launches Puma conversion programme."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516162253/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/thunder-city-launches-puma-conversion-programme-317434/ |date=2013-05-16 }} ''Flight International'', 15 October 2008.</ref>

==Operational history==

===Argentina===
During the [[Falklands War|Falklands War/Guerra de Malvinas]] of 1982, five SA 330 Pumas of the [[Argentine Army]] and one of the [[Argentine Coast Guard]] were deployed to the theatre; these could either operate from the decks of Navy vessels as well as performing missions across the breadth of the islands; all were lost in the ensuing conflict.<ref>Smith 2006, pp. 23–24, 38.</ref> On 3 April, while landing Argentine troops as part of the [[invasion of South Georgia|capture of South Georgia]], a Puma was badly damaged by [[small arms|small arms fire]] from British ground forces and crashed into terrain shortly after.<ref>Smith 2006, pp. 16–17.</ref> On 9 May, a single Puma was destroyed by a [[Sea Dart]] [[Surface-to-air missile|anti-aircraft missile]] launched from {{HMS|Coventry|D118|6}}.<ref>Smith 2006, p. 122.</ref>

On 23 May, a pair of [[Royal Navy]] [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier|Sea Harriers]] intercepted three Argentine Pumas in the middle of a supply mission to [[Port Howard]]; during the subsequent engagement one Puma was destroyed by colliding with the terrain and a second was disabled and subsequently destroyed by cannon fire from the Sea Harriers, the third Puma escaped.<ref>Smith 2006, pp. 82, 123.</ref> On 30 May, a Puma was lost in the vicinity of [[Mount Kent]] under unclear circumstances, possibly due to [[friendly fire]];<ref>Smith 2006, p. 124.</ref> an article in the Argentine newssite MercoPress reported that, on that same day, a Puma had been brought down by a [[FIM-92 Stinger|Stinger missile]] fired by the [[Special Air Service|SAS]] ground forces, near Mount Kent. Six [[Gendarmeria Nacional Argentina|National Gendarmerie]] Special Forces were killed and eight more wounded in the downing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2002/04/12/argentine-puma-shot-down-by-american-stinger-missile#prof |title=Argentine Puma shot down by american "Stinger" missile. |work=MercoPress |access-date=2009-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328101020/http://en.mercopress.com/2002/04/12/argentine-puma-shot-down-by-american-stinger-missile#prof |archive-date=2012-03-28 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===France===
In September 1979, four Pumas were employed during [[Operation Barracuda]] to transport a French assault team directly upon the government headquarters of the [[Central African Empire]]; after which confiscated valuables and assorted diplomatic and political records were quickly extracted to the nearby French [[embassy]] by continuous air lifts by the Pumas.<ref>Titley 1997, p. 136.</ref>

One distinctive use of the Puma in French service was as a VIP transport for carrying the [[President of France]] both at home and during overseas diplomatic engagements; these duties were transferred to the larger AS332 Super Puma as that became available in sufficient numbers.<ref>Titley 1997, p. 71.</ref><ref>Ripley 2010, p. 11.</ref>

[[File:French SA 330 Puma lifts off in a cloud of sand during Operation Desert Shield.JPEG|thumb|French Puma during [[Operation Desert Shield]], 1990]]
During the 1991 [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]], France chose to dispatch several Pumas in support of coalition forces engaged in a conflict with [[Saddam Hussein]]'s [[Iraq]]. Those Pumas that had been assigned to the role of performing combat search-and-rescue duties were quickly retrofitted with [[GPS]] receivers to enhance their navigational capabilities.<ref>Rip and Hasik 2002, p. 155.</ref>

As part of France's contribution to the 1990s [[NATO]]-led intervention in the [[Yugoslav Wars]], a number of French Pumas operated in the region alongside other Puma operators such as Britain and the [[United Arab Emirates]]; one frequent mission for the type was the vital provision of humanitarian aid missions to refugees escaping ongoing ethnic [[genocide]].<ref>Ripley 2010, pp. 56, 60, 81–82.</ref> In April 1994, a French Puma performed a nighttime extraction of a British [[Special Air Service|SAS]] squad and a downed [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier|Sea Harrier]] pilot from deep inside hostile [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnian]] territory, the aircraft came under small arms fire while retreating from the area.<ref name=Ryan33-35>{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=Mike |title=The operators |date=2005 |publisher=Collins |location=London |isbn=0-00719-937-6 |pages=33–35 |edition=1. publ.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PG&p_theme=pg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADEFB3DD0502E7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Downed British Jet's Pilot Rescued in Bosnia |newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=17 April 1994 |access-date=8 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516041440/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PG&p_theme=pg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADEFB3DD0502E7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |archive-date=16 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 18 June 1999, a single coordinated aerial insertion of two companies of French paratroopers was performed by 20 Pumas, helping to spearhead the rapid securing of [[Kosovska Mitrovica]] by NATO ground forces.<ref>Ripley 2010, pp. 77–78.</ref>

By 2010, both the French Army and French Navy have opted to procure separate variants of the [[NHIndustries NH90]] to ultimately replace the Puma in French military service.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fleury |first=Pascale |url=http://www.eurocopter.com/site/en/press/Eurocoptera-s-first-NH90-TTH-tactical-transport-helicopter-for-France-performs-its-maiden-flight_742.html?iframe=true&width=700 |title=Eurocopter's first NH90 TTH tactical transport helicopter for France performs its maiden flight |publisher=Eurocopter |date=17 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729045745/https://www.eurocopter.com/site/en/press/Eurocoptera-s-first-NH90-TTH-tactical-transport-helicopter-for-France-performs-its-maiden-flight_742.html?iframe=true&width=700 |archive-date=2013-07-29}}</ref> Starting in June 2014, a pair of Pumas of ''Escadron d'Hélicoptères 1/67 'Pyrénées'' (EH 1/60) were deployed to [[Chad]] and [[Niger]] from June 2014 as part of [[Operation Barkhane]] to disrupt Islamist insurgency in the [[Sahel]] region. Initially operated from [[N'Djamena]] in Chad, the detachment later moved forwards to [[Dirkou]] and [[Madama]] in Niger, supporting ground troops and interdicting supply routes for the insurgent; the detachment returned to France in September 2015 after being relieved by other French Army assets. Roughly 20 SA 330 Pumas remained in [[French Air and Space Force]] service by 2016.<ref>Kraak ''Air International'' December 2016, pp. 88–95.</ref>

===Lebanon===
[[File:French Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopters in Beirut 1983.jpg|thumb|Pair of Pumas flying over Beirut, 1983]]
Between 1980 and 1984, the [[Lebanese Air Force]] received from France ten SA 330C Pumas to equip its newly raised 9th transport squadron at [[Beirut Air Base]], where it was initially based. In 1983, the squadron was relocated north of [[Beirut]] and its Pumas were dispersed across small improvised helipads around [[Jounieh]] and [[Adma wa Dafneh|Adma]] for security reasons. On 23 August 1984, a Puma carrying the [[Lebanese Armed Forces]]' Chief-of-staff and commander of the [[7th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)|Seventh Brigade]], General [[Nadim al-Hakim]], and eight other senior military officers crashed in thick fog near [[Beirut]], killing all personnel aboard.<ref>O'Ballance, ''Civil War in Lebanon'' (1998), p. 148.</ref> On 1 June 1987, the Lebanese Prime-Minister [[Rachid Karami]] was assassinated aboard a Puma en route to Beirut when a bomb exploded in an [[attaché]] case on his lap; the explosion also injured Interior Minister [[Abdullah Rassi]] and three of the other twelve aides and crewmen on the Puma, which was severely damaged.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ihsan |last=Hijazi |title=Lebanese premier is assassinated in copter blast |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2 June 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Prime Minister Karami killed |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19870602&id=Vk8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8cgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4744,220083 |access-date=26 January 2014 |newspaper=Times Daily |date=2 June 1987}}</ref><ref name=lat>{{cite news |title=Helicopter Bomb Blast Kills Lebanese Premier |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-01-mn-5355-story.html |access-date=22 July 2012 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=1 June 1987 |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305215003/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-06-01/news/mn-5355_1_lebanese-premier |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the final phase of the [[Lebanese Civil War]], the Puma fleet – now reduced to seven or six helicopters of flightworthy condition<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201423.html |title=World Air Forces 1983 |page=359 |work=FlightGlobal |access-date=30 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521152445/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201423.html |archive-date=21 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> – was typically being used to conduct liaison flights with neighboring [[Cyprus]] on behalf of General [[Michel Aoun]]'s interim military government, although fuel shortages and maintenance problems forced their crews to typically ground them until the end of the war in October 1990.<ref>Micheletti and Debay, ''Victoire a Souk El-Gharb – la 10e Brigade sauve le Liban'' (1989), p. 18.</ref>

After the conflict, the [[Lebanese Air Force]] Command made consistent efforts to rebuild its transport helicopter squadron with the help of the [[United Arab Emirates]] and seven IAR 330 SM helicopters formerly in service with the [[United Arab Emirates Air Force]] were delivered in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inss.org.il/uploadimages/SystemFiles/lebanon.pdf |title=Lebanon |publisher=Institute for National Security Studies |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728223823/http://www.inss.org.il/uploadimages/SystemFiles/lebanon.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2013, the Lebanese Air Force converted an IAR 330 SM into a [[helicopter gunship]] by mounting on hardened side-swivel mounts a single [[ADEN cannon|ADEN Mk 4/5 30mm]] [[revolver cannon]] on a modified pod and a pair of [[SNEB|SNEB 68mm rocket launchers]] taken from decommissioned [[Hawker Hunter|Hawker Hunter FGA.70 and FGA.70A]] [[fighter aircraft]]. Re-designated SA 330SM, the resulting Puma gunship underwent trials on October 10 that same year during aerial maneuvers held in [[Wujah Al Hajar Air Base|Hamat Air Base]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://milinme.wordpress.com/category/saiar-330-puma/ |title=SA/IAR 330 Puma – Military In the Middle East |website=milinme.wordpress.com |date=23 November 2013 |access-date=2016-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516172540/https://milinme.wordpress.com/category/saiar-330-puma/ |archive-date=2016-05-16 |url-status=live}}</ref> Although the trials were successful, the SA 300SM was not accepted for active service, with the Lebanese Air Force Command settling instead on an armed version of the [[Eurocopter AS532 Cougar]], of which seven helicopters were scheduled to be received over the next three years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/ar/news/?43684 |title=الموقع الرسمي للجيش اللبناني |access-date=2016-07-06 |archive-date=2015-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513200433/http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/ar/news/?43684#.VS4beJNRJ51 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Morocco===
[[File:Moroccan SA 330 Puma (cropped).jpg|thumb|Moroccan Puma, 2012]]
In 1974, Morocco made an agreement with France for the purchase of 40 Puma helicopters for their armed forces.<ref>Keucher 1987, p. 65.</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s, Moroccan Pumas saw combat service against [[Polisario Front]] separatists and helped exert greater control over the [[Western Sahara]] region; use of air power by Moroccan forces was severely curtailed after several aircraft were lost or damaged due to the presence of Soviet-provided [[2K12 Kub]] anti-aircraft missiles in rebel hands in the early 1980s.<ref>Dean 1986, pp. 46–47.</ref>

In October 2007, as part of a €2 billion deal between Morocco and France, a total of 25 Moroccan Pumas are to undergo extensive modernisation and upgrades.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jarry |first=Emmanuel |url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/sarkozy-starts-morocco-trip-with-rail-deal-1.376006 |title=Sarkozy starts Morocco trip with rail deal |work=[[Independent Online (South Africa)|Independent Online]] |date=23 October 2007 |access-date=13 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707034958/http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/sarkozy-starts-morocco-trip-with-rail-deal-1.376006#.UWmtcIlwZMN |archive-date=7 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Portugal===
In 1969, [[Portugal]] emerged as an early export customer for the Puma, ordering 12 of the helicopters for the [[Portuguese Air Force]]; Portugal would also be the first country to employ the Pumas in combat operations during the [[Portuguese Colonial War]]; the type was used operationally to complement the smaller [[Alouette III]] helicopter fleet during the [[Angolan War of Independence|Angola]] and [[Mozambican War of Independence|Mozambican wars of independence]], the type had the advantages of greater autonomy and transport capacity over other operated helicopters.<ref>Bosgra and Krimpen 1972, pp. 27–32.</ref>

During the 1980s, Portugal engaged in an illicit arrangement with South Africa in order to circumvent a [[United Nations]] [[embargo]] being enforced upon South Africa under which France had refused to provide upgrades and spares for South Africa's own Puma fleet. In the secretive deal, Portugal ordered more powerful engines and new avionics with the public intention of employing them on its own Pumas, however many of the components were diverted via a [[Zaire]]-based [[front company]] to South African defense firm [[Armscorp]], where they were used to overhaul, upgrade and rebuild the existing Pumas, ultimately resulting in the [[Atlas Oryx]]; the Portuguese Pumas also received significant upgrades which were paid for under the terms of the agreement.<ref name='atomic puma'>Vegar, Jose. "Stiffed Arms Merchant Sues". ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'', November 1997, 53(6). pp. 12–13.</ref>

In 2006, the Portuguese Air Force began receiving deliveries of the [[AgustaWestland AW101|AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin]], a larger and more capable helicopter, replacing the aging Puma fleet.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rtp.pt/index.php?article=221058&visual=16 |title="Velhos" PUMA despedem-se sexta-feira com chegada de oito EH-101 |author=Agência LUSA |publisher=RTP |date=3 February 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070515/http://www.rtp.pt/index.php?article=221058&visual=16 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

Starting in 2007, Portugal has been offering to sell eight of its withdrawn Pumas, they were still on sale by 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sicnoticias.sapo.pt/economia/2015-05-20-Governo-volta-a-tentar-vender-8-helicopteros-da-Guerra-Colonial |title=Governo volta a tentar vender 8 helicópteros da Guerra Colonial |publisher=SIC |date=20 May 2015 |access-date=29 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003015609/https://sicnoticias.sapo.pt/economia/2015-05-20-Governo-volta-a-tentar-vender-8-helicopteros-da-Guerra-Colonial |archive-date=3 October 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===South Africa===
[[File:SAAF-Puma-005.jpg|thumb|South African Air Force Puma, 2011]]

From 1972 onwards, Pumas operated by the SAAF were deployed on extended operations in [[South West Africa]] and [[Angola]] during the [[South African Border War|Border War]]. The Puma was involved in normal trooping; rapid deployment during "follow up" operations; acting as [[radio relay]]s; [[Casualty evacuation|evacuation of casualties]]; rescuing downed aircrew; insertion of [[Special Forces]]; and large scale cross border operations such as [[Operation Savannah (Angola)|Savannah]], [[Operation Uric|Uric]], [[Operation Protea|Protea]], [[Operation Super|Super]], and [[Operation Modular|Modular]]. The majority of South African Puma acquisitions, including of spare parts, were made in advance of an anticipated [[United Nations]] [[embargo]] that was applied in 1977.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ywpPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XwIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5633,1829810 "South Africa Ready to Handle Global Squeeze."] ''Toledo Blade'', 1 November 1977</ref> South Africa subsequently upgraded many of its Pumas, eventually arriving at the derived indigenous [[Atlas Oryx]]; external assistance and components were obtained via secretive transactions involving Portugal during the arms embargo era.<ref name='atomic puma'/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mg.co.za/article/1998-03-13-pik-to-testify-in-oryx-smuggling-dispute |title=Pik to testify in Oryx-smuggling dispute |newspaper=[[Mail & Guardian]] |date=13 March 1998 |access-date=12 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707160040/http://mg.co.za/article/1998-03-13-pik-to-testify-in-oryx-smuggling-dispute |archive-date=7 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 1979, South Africa's government acknowledged the presence of its military forces operating in [[Rhodesia]]; Pumas were routinely used in support of the South African Army's ground forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u2UaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7ioEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6898,219070 |title=Forces in Zimbabwe, South Africa Admits |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel#Milwaukee Journal|Milwaukee Journal]] |date=2 December 1979 |page=20}} {{dead link|date=August 2016}}</ref> In June 1980, 20 Pumas accompanied a force of 8,000 troops during a South African invasion of Angola in pursuit of nationalist [[SWAPO]] fighters.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z2pQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dVoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4421,2490919 |title=Report: South African Forces take up Position in Angola |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times|St Petersburg Times]] |date=27 June 1980 |page=15}}</ref> In 1982, the government confirmed that 15 servicemen had been killed when a South African Puma was downed by SWAPO forces, it was one of the worst losses suffered in a single incident in the conflict.<ref>{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Douglas |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZitVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hpQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6190,4501759 |title=15 South Africans killed in Angola Push |newspaper=[[The Age]] |date=12 August 1982 |page=9}}</ref>

During the 1990s, clandestine efforts to purchase surplus SAAF Pumas were made by then-President [[Pascal Lissouba]] of the [[Republic of Congo]], most likely intended for use in the [[Republic of the Congo Civil War (1997-99)|Congolese Civil War]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://mg.co.za/article/2013-04-05-00-offshore-records-solve-mystery-of-civil-war-chopper-deal |title=Offshore records solve mystery of civil war chopper deal |newspaper=Mail & Guardian |date=5 April 2010 |access-date=12 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407025753/http://mg.co.za/article/2013-04-05-00-offshore-records-solve-mystery-of-civil-war-chopper-deal |archive-date=7 April 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> When the cruise ship {{ship|MTS|Oceanos}} sank off the [[Wild Coast Region, Eastern Cape|Wild Coast]] of South Africa in 1991, as many as 13 Pumas played crucial roles in the rescue efforts, winching 225 survivors to safety during bad weather conditions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wren |first=Christopher S |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/05/world/over-500-are-rescued-as-greek-cruise-ship-sinks-off-south-african-coast.html |title=Over 500 Are Rescued as Greek Cruise Ship Sinks Off South African Coast |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=5 August 1991 |access-date=14 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318061753/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/05/world/over-500-are-rescued-as-greek-cruise-ship-sinks-off-south-african-coast.html |archive-date=18 March 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
[[File:A Royal Air Force Puma helicopter over the English countryside.jpg|thumb|A [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] Puma HC1 in flight, 2012]]
The first two Pumas for the Royal Air Force were delivered on 29 January 1971,<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200157.html "World News"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516131356/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200157.html |date=2013-05-16 }}. ''[[Flight International]]'', Vol. 99, No. 3230, 4 February 1971, p. 144.</ref><ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200587.html "Wildcat Work-Out"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516160438/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200587.html |date=2013-05-16 }}. ''Flight International'', Vol. 99, No. 3240, 15 April 1971, pp. 532–534.</ref> with the first operational squadron ([[No. 33 Squadron RAF|33 Squadron]]) forming at [[RAF Odiham]] on 14 June 1971.<ref name="Ash p108">Ashworth 1989, p. 108.</ref> The RAF would order a total of 48 Puma HC Mk 1 for transport duties; during the [[Falklands War]], an additional SA 330J formerly operated by [[Argentine Naval Prefecture]] was captured by British forces and shipped back to Great Britain and used as a RAF static training aid for several years. This SA 330J was later refurbished by Westland using parts from damaged RAF Puma XW215 and put into RAF service after a lengthy rebuild as ZE449.<ref name="Variants p102-3"/> The Puma became a common vehicle for British special forces, such as the [[Special Air Service|SAS]], and has been described as being "good for covert tasks".<ref name="Ryan 95">Ryan 2005, p. 95.</ref>

Between the early 1970s and the 1990s, RAF Pumas were normally based at RAF Odiham ([[No. 33 Squadron RAF|33 Squadron]] and [[240 OCU]]), [[RAF Gutersloh]] ([[No. 230 Squadron RAF|230 Squadron]]) and [[No. 1563 Flight RAF]] at [[RAF Belize]]. During [[The Troubles]], it was also common for a detachment to be based at [[RAF Aldergrove]] in Northern Ireland. In 1994, 230 Squadron relocated to RAF Aldergrove to provide a permanent presence to augment the [[Westland Wessex]] of [[No. 72 Squadron RAF|72 Squadron]]. In 2009, 230 Squadron relocated to [[RAF Benson]] together with 33 Squadron from RAF Odiham.<ref>"Operation Tiger 9". ''[[Air International]]'', January 2010, Vol. 78, No. 1. p.&nbsp;7.</ref><ref name="authority">[http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn031-35.htm No 31 – 35 Squadron Histories] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426210613/http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn031-35.htm |date=26 April 2009 }}. ''Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation''. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2009.</ref>

[[File:RAF Puma Mk2 Helicopter MOD 45156639.jpg|thumb|An upgraded RAF Puma HC2, 2014]]
Royal Air Force Pumas have also seen active service in [[Venezuela]], Iraq, [[Yugoslavia]], and [[Zaire]].<ref name="sqd 33">[http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson/aboutus/33history.cfm "33 Squadron History."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615041446/http://www.raf.mod.uk/RAFbenson/aboutus/33history.cfm |date=2013-06-15 }} ''Royal Air Force''. Retrieved 8 April 2013.</ref> Britain has frequently dispatched Pumas on disaster relief and humanitarian missions, such as during the [[2000 Mozambique flood]] and the [[Hurricane Gilbert#Jamaica|1988 Jamaican flash flood]];<ref>{{cite news |last=McGreal |first=Chris |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/mar/02/mozambique.chrismcgreal1 |title=Flood aid 'not enough' – UN |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 April 2000 |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315104415/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/mar/02/mozambique.chrismcgreal1 |archive-date=15 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> and to conduct peacekeeping operations in regions such as [[Zimbabwe]] and the [[Persian Gulf]].<ref name="sqd 33"/>
[[File:RAF Puma Mk2 Being Loaded onto a RAF C-17 of No. 99 Sqn (2).jpg|thumb|left|RAF Puma Mk2 Being Loaded onto a RAF C-17]]
During the climax of the First Gulf War, a joint force of Pumas from 230 and 33 Squadrons proved decisive in rapidly mobilizing and deploying troops to prevent Iraqi troops from sabotaging the [[Rumaila oil field]].<ref name="Ryan 95"/> From the beginning of the [[Iraq War]], between 2003 and 2009, RAF Pumas would be used to provide troop mobility across the theatre.<ref>Ryan 2005, p. 170.</ref> On 15 April 2007, two RAF Pumas collided during a [[special forces]] mission close to [[Baghdad]], Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |last=Judd |first=Terri |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/two-british-soldiers-killed-in-iraq-as-helicopters-collide-444917.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708105523/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/two-british-soldiers-killed-in-iraq-as-helicopters-collide-444917.html |title=Two British soldiers killed in Iraq as helicopters collide |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=16 April 2007 |archive-date=2015-07-08 |access-date=12 September 2018}}</ref> In November 2007, a Puma crashed during an anti-[[insurgent]] operation in Iraq; an inquest found the cause to be pilot error primarily, however the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] (MoD) was criticised for failing to equip RAF Pumas with night vision goggles and inadequate maintenance checks compromising safety, these shortcomings were addressed following the incident.<ref>Savill, Richard. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/6771357/Fuel-safety-valves-on-fatal-Puma-crash-helicopter-had-not-been-checked-for-30-years.html "Fuel safety valves on fatal Puma crash helicopter `had not been checked for 30 years’."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117031130/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/6771357/Fuel-safety-valves-on-fatal-Puma-crash-helicopter-had-not-been-checked-for-30-years.html |date=2018-01-17 }} ''The Telegraph'', 9 December 2009</ref>
[[File:RAF Puma helicopters in formation.jpg|thumb|Pumas in formation for Exercise Wessex Storm, 2020]]
In 2002, six ex-South African SA 330L were purchased by Britain to extend the type's service life.<ref name="fiwaf02 p74">Penney ''Flight International'' 26 November – 2 December 2002, p. 74.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://hansard.parliament.uk/%E2%80%8CCommons/2002-10-29/debates/8519ba45-92c9-4901-aaa4-0d5acb358c73/Puma(Tenders) |title = Puma (Tenders): Volume 391 |publisher = Hansard |date = 29 October 2002}}</ref> An extensive upgrade programme saw the first Puma HC Mk2 enter service in late 2012 and completion in early 2014,<ref name="puma hc2 first">[http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-mod-receives-first-upgraded-puma-hc2-376448/ "UK MoD receives first upgraded Puma HC2."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016022059/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-mod-receives-first-upgraded-puma-hc2-376448/ |date=2012-10-16 }} ''Flightglobal'', 13 September 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013</ref> permitting the RAF's Pumas to stay in service until 2025. In 2008, it was planned for 30 Pumas to be upgraded,<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/09/05/315639/raf-gets-funds-for-more-reaper-uavs-puma-upgrade.html "RAF gets funds for more Reaper UAVs, Puma upgrade."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922163217/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/09/05/315639/raf-gets-funds-for-more-reaper-uavs-puma-upgrade.html |date=2008-09-22 }} ''Flightglobal'', 5 September 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008</ref> this was subsequently cut to 22,<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/farnborough-upgraded-puma-hc2-to-enter-final-flight-test-phase-374129/ "Upgraded Puma HC2 to enter final flight test phase."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920194719/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/farnborough-upgraded-puma-hc2-to-enter-final-flight-test-phase-374129/ |date=2012-09-20 }} ''Flightglobal'', 11 July 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.</ref> and was later revised upwards for a total of 24 HC Mk2 Pumas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182048/Desider59_april2013.pdf |title=Last Puma heads for life extension |publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] – Defence equipment and support |access-date=6 April 2013}}</ref> Upgrades include the adoption of two [[Turbomeca]] Makila engines, new gearboxes and tail rotors, new engine controls, digital autopilot, a flight management system, an improved defensive aids suite, and ballistic protection for both crew and passengers. The HC Mk2 Puma can transport double the payload over three times the range of its predecessor, and has been deployed for tactical troop transport, fast contingent combat, and humanitarian missions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/newsmod-receives-puma-mk2 |title=UK MoD receives first upgraded Puma HC Mk2 helicopter |work=Airforce Technology |date=14 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706185413/http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/newsmod-receives-puma-mk2 |archive-date=6 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The RAF ceased operating Pumas on 31 March 2025, the replacement rotorcraft being procured under the [[New Medium Helicopter]] programme.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2021 |title=Defence and Security Industrial Strategy: A strategic approach to the UK's defence and security industrial sectors (CP 410) |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/971983/Defence_and_Security_Industrial_Strategy_-_FINAL.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=18 September 2021 |website=Gov.uk |publisher=Ministry of Defence |page=99 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323182136/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/971983/Defence_and_Security_Industrial_Strategy_-_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=2021-03-23}}</ref>

===Private military companies===
The American [[private military company]] [[EP Aviation]] is known to have operated numerous Pumas in [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/community/messageboard/52/48030 |title=DITCH EP AVIATION SA.330J PUMA N605R}}</ref>

===Civil===
One of the largest and prominent operators of the type was [[Bristow Helicopters]], where the Puma was regularly used for off shore operations over the [[North Sea]].<ref name="McGowen 124"/><ref>Healey 2003, p. 233.</ref> During the 1970s, Bristow had sought to begin replacing their [[Sikorsky S-61]] helicopters, and the Puma was selected after a highly competitively-priced bid had been made by Aerospatiale; Puma G-BFSV was the first of the type to enter service with Bristow.<ref>Healey 2003, pp. 127, 139.</ref> From 1979 onwards, the Puma formed the mainstay of the Bristow fleet;<ref>Healey 2003, p. 127.</ref> the type took over the duties of Bristow's retiring Westland Wessex helicopters in 1981.<ref>{{cite news |title=Air Crash Firm Scraps 'Risky' Helicopter Fleet |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |publisher=[[Newsquest]] |date=10 November 1981 |page=1}}</ref> In 1982, Bristow opted to supplement their then-total fleet of 11 SA 330J Pumas via the introduction the more powerful Super Puma.<ref>Healey 2003, p. 139.</ref>

The American operator [[Erickson Inc.]] has operated at least four Pumas; they have been used under contract for [[Vertical replenishment]] (VERTREP) to the [[United States Fifth Fleet]] and [[United States Seventh Fleet]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defence-helicopter/erickson-us-navy-msc-support-extended/ |title=Erickson US Navy MSC support extended |website=shephardmedia.com |date=16 October 2014}}</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:PoAF PUMA Praia Bay DF-SD-06-02172.jpg|thumb|right|[[Portuguese Air Force]] Puma during a [[Space Shuttle]] recovery exercise at [[Lajes Air Base]], [[Azores]] in 2004]]
[[File:french army AS 330B puma at riat 2010 arp.jpg|thumb|[[French Army]] Puma at [[RIAT]] 2010]]
{{External media|topic= |width=20% |float=right |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXnZee2kYO8 French Army Puma during an exercise] |video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxb_tZ2i5uk In-cockpit view of a SA 330J flight] |video3=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXKZw5Q0NbQ Spanish Air Force SA 330 Puma performing at an airshow in 2011]}}

===Aérospatiale versions===
; SA 330A
: Prototypes, originally called "Alouette IV".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.airbus.com/content/dam/corporate-topics/publications/en-Book-80-years.pdf |title=1939–2019 Marignane – 80 Years of Pioneering |publisher=Airbus Helicopters |date=2019 |page=80 |last1=Colonges |first1=Monique |last2=De Silva |first2=Christian |access-date=5 Jun 2021 |archive-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605080734/https://www.airbus.com/content/dam/corporate-topics/publications/en-Book-80-years.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>
; SA 330B
: Initial production version for the [[French Army Light Aviation]]. Powered by 884&nbsp;kW (1,185&nbsp;hp) [[Turbomeca Turmo]] IIIC4 engines. 132 purchased by France.<ref name="Variants p101">Lake 2001, p. 101.</ref>
; SA 330 ''Orchidée''
: SA 330 modified to carry an ''Orchidée'' battlefield surveillance radar system with a rotating underfuselage antenna, for the French Army. One demonstrator was built, flying in 1986. The ''Orchidée'' programme was cancelled in 1990, but the prototype rushed back into service in 1991 to serve in the [[Gulf War]], leading to production of a similar system based on the [[Eurocopter Cougar]].<ref name="Variants p104">Lake 2001, p. 104.</ref>
; SA 330C
: Initial export production version. Powered by 1,044&nbsp;kW (1,400&nbsp;hp) Turbomeca Turmo IVB engines.<ref name="Variants p102">Lake 2001, p. 102.</ref>
; SA.330E
: Version produced by Westland Helicopters for the RAF under the designation Puma HC Mk. 1.
; SA.330F
: Initial civilian export production version with Turbomeca Turmo IIIC4 turboshaft engines.<ref name="Variants p103"/>
; SA.330G
: Upgraded civilian version with 1175&nbsp;kW (1,575&nbsp;hp) Turbomeca Turmo IVC engines.<ref name="Variants p103"/>
; SA.330H
: Upgraded French Army and export version with Turbomeca Turmo IVC engines and composite main rotor blades. Designated SA 330Ba by the French Air and Space Force. All surviving French Army SA 330Bs converted to this standard.<ref name="Variants p103">Lake 2001, p. 103.</ref>
; SA.330J
: Upgraded civil transport version with composite rotor blades and with higher maximum takeoff weight.<ref name="Variants p105">Lake 2001, p. 105.</ref>
; SA.330L
: Upgraded version for "[[hot and high]]" conditions. Military equivalent to civil SA.330J.<ref name="Variants p105"/>  Designated '''CH-33''' in Brazilian service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brazilian Military Aircraft Designations |url=https://designation-systems.net/non-us/brazil.html |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=designation-systems.net}}</ref>
; SA.330S
: Upgraded SA 330L (themselves converted from SA 330C) version for the Portuguese Air Force. Powered by [[Turbomeca Makila]] engines.<ref name="Variants p105"/>
; SA.330SM
: Lebanese converted gunship version by mounting on hardened side-swivel mounts a single ADEN Mk 4/5 30mm revolver cannon on a modified pod and a pair of SNEB 68mm rocket launchers on each side.
; SA.330Z
: Prototype with "[[fenestron]]" tail rotor.<ref name="Variants p106">Lake 2001, p. 106.</ref>
;SA.331 Puma Makila
: Engine test-bed for the AS.332 Super Puma series, powered by two Turbomeca Makila engines

===Versions by other manufacturers===
;Atlas Aircraft Corporation [[Atlas Oryx|Oryx]]: Remanufactured and upgraded SA 330 Puma built for the South African Air Force.
;IPTN NAS 330J: Version that was assembled by IPTN of [[Indonesia]] under the local designation NAS 330J and the Aerospatiale designation of SA 330J. Eleven units were produced.
;[[IAR 330]]: Licence-built version of the SA 330 Puma manufactured by [[Industria Aeronautică Română]] of Romania. Designated as the SA 330L by Aerospatiale.
; IAR-330 Puma SOCAT: 24 modified for antitank warfare.
; IAR-330 Puma Naval: 3 modified for the Romanian Navy, using the SOCAT avionics.
;Westland Puma HC Mk 1
:SA 330E equivalent assembled by Westland Helicopters for the RAF, first flown on 25 November 1970. Several similarities to the SA 330B employed by the French Armed Forces. The RAF placed an initial order for 40 Pumas in 1967, with a further eight attrition replacement aircraft in 1979.<ref name="Variants p102-3">Lake 2001, pp. 102–103.</ref>
;Airbus Helicopters Puma HC.Mk 2
:Modified Puma HC Mk1s,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/puma-hc2/ |title=Puma HC2 |publisher=Royal Air Force |access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref> total of 24 upgraded with more powerful Turbomeca Makila 1A1 engines, a [[glass cockpit]] and new avionics, secure communications and improved self-protection equipment.<ref name="puma hc2 first"/>

==Operators==
===Current operators===

;{{BRA}}
* [[Brazilian Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021">{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/reports/world-air-forces-2021/141456.article |title=World Air Forces 2021 |work=FlightGlobal |access-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110064115/https://www.flightglobal.com/reports/world-air-forces-2021/141456.article |archive-date=10 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{CHI}}
*[[Chilean Army]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
;{{flaglist|Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
*[[Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Congo Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
;{{ECU}}
*[[Ecuadorian Army]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
;{{FRA}}
*[[French Air and Space Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/france/arm%C3%A9e-de-l'air |title=Armée de l'air |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport]], French Guiana
***[[Escadron de Transport 68 Antilles-Guyane|ET 00.068]]
**[[Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport]], Djibouti 
***[[Escadron de Transport 88 Larzac|ET 00.088]]
**[[La Tontouta International Airport]], New Caledonia
***[[Escadron de Transport 52 Tontouta|ET 00.052]]
**[[Solenzara Air Base]], Haute-Corse, France
***[[Escadron d'Hélicoptères 1/44 Solenzara|EH 01.044]]
*[[French Army Light Aviation]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
;{{GAB}}
*[[Military of Gabon]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/gabon/gabon-army-gendarmerie |title=Gabon Army & Gendarmerie |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Léon-Mba International Airport]], Libreville
***Escadrille Aérienne Transport
;{{GUI}}
*[[Military of Guinea|Guinea Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
;{{KEN}}
*[[Kenya Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/kenya/kenya-air-force |title=Kenya Air Force |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Moi Air Base]], Nairobi City County
***Helicopter Squadron
;{{KWT}}
*[[Kuwait Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
;{{flag|Lebanon}} 
*[[Lebanese Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/lebanon/lebanese-air-force |title=Lebanese Air Force |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Wujah Al Hajar Air Base]], Hamat
***9 Squadron
;{{MWI}}
*[[Malawi Army]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
;{{MAR}}
*[[Royal Moroccan Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/morocco/royal-moroccan-air-force |title=Royal Moroccan Air Force |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Rabat–Salé Airport|First Air Base]], Rabat-Salé-Kénitra 
***Escadrons de Manoeuvres Tactiques 
;{{PAK}}
*[[Pakistan Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/>
*[[Pakistan Army Aviation Corps]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/pakistan/pakistan-army |title=Pakistan Army |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Multan International Airport]], Punjab
***24th Army Aviation Squadron
**[[Dhamial Airbase|Qasim Airbase]], Dhamial
***13th Army Aviation Squadron
***28th Army Aviation Squadron
;{{ROM}}
*[[Romanian Air Force]] (See [[IAR 330]])<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/romania/romania-air-force |title=Romania Air Force |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[RoAF 71st Air Base|71st Air Base]], Cluj County
***Escadrila 712
***Escadrila 713
**[[RoAF 90th Airlift Base|90th Airlift Base]], Ilfov County
***Escadrila 903
**[[RoAF 95th Air Base|95th Air Base]], Bacău County
***Escadrila 952
*[[Romanian Navy]] (See [[IAR 330]])<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/romania/romania-navy |title=Romania Navy |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**Tuzla Aerodrome, Constanța County
***Grupul 256
;{{UKR}}
*[[Ukrainian Air Force]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 10, 2025 |title=Portugal transfers eight SA-330 Puma helicopters to Ukraine |work=[[RBC-Ukraine]] |url=https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/portugal-transfers-eight-sa-330-puma-helicopters-1741621778.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250311233612/https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/portugal-transfers-eight-sa-330-puma-helicopters-1741621778.html |archive-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>

===Former operators===
;{{ALG}}
*[[Algerian Air Force]]<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202488.html |title=World's Air Forces 1987 |page=38 |work=Flight International |date=28 November 1987 |access-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516141656/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202488.html |archive-date=16 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> 
;{{ARG}}
*[[Argentine Army Aviation|Argentine Army]]<ref name="World Air Forces 1987 pg. 40">{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202490.html |title=World Air Forces 1987 pg. 40 |publisher=Flightglobal Insight |year=2019 |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101030327/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202490.html |archive-date=1 January 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Argentine Coast Guard]]<ref name="World Air Forces 1987 pg. 40"/>
;{{BEL}}
*[[Gendarmerie (Belgium)|Gendarmerie]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202492.html |title=World Air Forces 1987 pg. 42 |work=FlightGlobal |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121175131/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202492.html |archive-date=21 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{CMR}}
*[[Cameroon Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2019">{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-2019-world-air-forces-directory-454126/ |title=World Air Forces 2019 |publisher=Flightglobal Insight |year=2019 |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123181847/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-2019-world-air-forces-directory-454126/ |archive-date=23 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{ETH}}
*[[Ethiopian Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202502.html |title=World's Air Forces 1987 |page=52 |work=Flight International |date=28 November 1987 |access-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706184652/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202502.html |archive-date=6 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{IDN}}
*[[Indonesian Air Force]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/indonesia/indonesia-air-force |title=Indonesia Air Force |website=scramble.nl |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Atang Senjaya Airport|Atang Senjaya Air Force Base]], [[West Java]]
***Wing Udara 4 – Skadron Udara 8 (Retired on 30 December 2023)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Angkatan Udara |first=TNI |date=30 December 2023 |title=Road To Museum Dirgantara: SA-330 Puma Laksanakan Misi Terbang Terakhir Bogor-Yogjakarta |url=https://twitter.com/_TNIAU/status/1741111841542250598 |website=X (formerly Twitter)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Randy |last=Wirayudha |url=https://historia.id/sains/articles/purnatugas-heli-puma-DbV8q |title=Purnatugas Heli Puma |website=historia.id |date=29 December 2023 |access-date=6 December 2024 |language=ID }}</ref>
;{{IRQ}}
*[[Iraqi Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202515.html |title=World's Air Forces 1987 |page=65 |work=Flight International |date=28 November 1987 |access-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516145026/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202515.html |archive-date=16 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> 
;{{IRL}}
*[[Irish Air Corps]]<ref name="World Air Forces 1987 pg. 352">{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201418.html |title=World Air Forces 1983 pg. 352 |publisher=Flightglobal Insight |year=2019 |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109064217/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201418.html |archive-date=9 January 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{MEX}}
*[[Mexican Air Force]]<ref name="World’s Air Forces 2013">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/media/reports_pdf/emptys/101015/world-air-forces-2013.pdf |title=World Air Forces 2013 |publisher=Flightglobal Insight |year=2013 |access-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216005935/http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/media/reports_pdf/emptys/101015/world-air-forces-2013.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> 
;{{NGA}}
*[[Nigerian Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202524.html |title=World Air Forces |year=1987 |page=74 |work=Flight International |access-date=2013-03-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109085859/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202524.html |archive-date=2015-01-09 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{flag|Oman}}
*[[Royal Air Force of Oman]]<ref name=" World Air Forces 2019"/>
[[File:USS Benfold Flight Operations (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|A contracted Puma resupplies {{USS|Benfold}} of the [[Military Sealift Command|US Navy Sealift Command]]]]
;{{PHL}}
*[[Philippine Air Force]] - 2 units were purchased in 1979 by Central Bank of the Philippines for the [[Philippine Air Force]] VIP 700th Special Mission Wing<ref>{{cite magazine |date=16–22 November 2004 |title=Directory World Air Forces 2004 |magazine=[[Flight International]] |page=80 |issn=0015-3710 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2004/2004-09%20-%202373.html |access-date=16 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511040540/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2004/2004-09%20-%202373.html |archive-date=11 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:West German Bundesgrenzschutz SA 330 Puma Helicopter.jpg|thumb|right|A SA 330 Puma formerly used by West Germany's Bundesgrenzschutz (border police).]]
;{{POR}}
*[[Portuguese Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202530.html |title=World Air Forces 1987 pg. 80 |work=FlightGlobal |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430092633/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202530.html |archive-date=30 April 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{SEN}}
*[[Senegalese Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202531.html |title=World Air Forces 1987 pg. 81 |work=FlightGlobal |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616204432/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202531.html |archive-date=16 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{RSA}}
*[[South African Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202534.html |title=World Air Forces 1987 pg. 84 |work=FlightGlobal |access-date=1 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516125522/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202534.html |archive-date=16 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Aerospatiale SA-330J Puma - SPaF - Pedro Aragão.jpg|thumb|Spanish SA 330J in 1989]]
;{{ESP}}
*[[Spanish Air and Space Force]]
**[[402 Escuadrón]] in [[Ala 48]]
;{{TOG}}
*[[Military of Togo#Air Force|Togolese Air Force]]<ref>"[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%203668.html "World's Air Forces."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024205057/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%203668.html |date=2012-10-24 }} ''[[Flight International]]'', 5–11 December 1990, p. 76</ref> 
;{{TUN}}
*[[Tunisian Air Force]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202545.html |title=World Air Forces 1987 pg. 95 |work=FlightGlobal |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904205930/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%202545.html |archive-date=4 September 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{UAE}}
*[[United Arab Emirates Air Force]]<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%201647.html |title=World Air Forces 1975 |page=291 |last=Barry Wheeler |work=Flight International |date=28 August 1975 |access-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516162304/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%201647.html |archive-date=16 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
;{{UK}}
*[[File:PUMA SQUADRON MARKS 100 YEARS MOD 45159769.jpg|alt=|thumb|A Puma HC2 of No. 33 Squadron using flares over Afghanistan while deployed in the country as part of [[Operation Toral]], 2015.]][[Royal Air Force]]
**[[RAF Odiham]], Hampshire, England
***[[No. 27 Squadron RAF|No. 27(R) Squadron]] (OCU) (1993–1998)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org/research/squadrons/27/ |title=No.27 Squadron |website=Royal Air Force Museum |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
***[[No. 240 Operational Conversion Unit RAF|No. 240 Operational Conversion Unit]] (1971–1993)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rafweb.org/Organsation/OCUs2.htm#240 |title=240 Operational Conversion Unit |website=Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
**[[Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove|RAF Aldergrove]], County Antrim, Northern Ireland
***[[No. 72 Squadron RAF|No. 72 Squadron]] (1997–2002<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org/research/squadrons/72/ |title=No.72 Squadron |website=Royal Air Force Museum |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>)
**[[RAF Akrotiri]], Cyprus
***[[No. 84 Squadron RAF|No. 84 Squadron]] (2023–2025)<ref>{{cite web |last=Cacoyannis |first=Xenia Zubova Sofie |date=4 April 2023 |title=Start of a new era at RAF Akrotiri as Pumas replace Griffin helicopters in Cyprus |url=https://www.forces.net/services/raf/start-new-era-raf-akrotiri-pumas-replace-griffin-helicopters-cyprus |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=forces.net}}</ref>
**[[RAF Benson]], Oxfordshire, England
***[[No. 22 Squadron RAF|No. 22 Squadron]] (OEU) (2020–2025)<ref>{{cite web |date=14 May 2020 |title=22 Squadron Re-Forms At RAF Benson |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/22-squadron-re-forms-at-raf-benson/ |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Royal Air Force}}</ref>
***[[No. 33 Squadron RAF|No. 33 Squadron]] (1971–2025)
***[[No. 230 Squadron RAF|No. 230 Squadron]] (1971–2022)
***[[No. 28 Squadron RAF|No. 28 Squadron]] (OCU) (2015–2025)
**[[British Forces Brunei|Medicina Lines]], Brunei
***[[No. 1563 Flight RAF|No. 1563 Flight]] (1971–1993; 2004–2009; 2022–''2023'')<ref>{{cite web |date=12 October 2022 |title=Despite the best efforts of the weather 1563 Flt has recently achieved Initial Operating Capability in Brunei with a further 2 Puma aircraft undertaking air testing prior to being available for tasking and training. |url=https://www.facebook.com/RAFBenson/posts/pfbid02fNJBkAZw14YsBjjB4wEp78kuSpLrbMD92tJw1CDRiBActcrnAY28evPrwHPzF8iQ |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=RAF Benson (Facebook)}}</ref>
***[[No. 230 Squadron RAF|No. 230 Squadron]] (2023–2025)

==Notable accidents and incidents==
* 29 March 2022 – Eight [[United Nations peacekeeping|UN peacekeepers]] (six Pakistanis, a Russian and a Serb), part of the [[MONUSCO|United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]] were killed in a [[2022 MONUSCO helicopter crash|crash]] of a Puma helicopter operated by the [[Pakistan Army Aviation Corps]] while on a reconnaissance mission in the troubled eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of Congo]]. Cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eight killed as UN helicopter crashes in eastern DRC |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/30/dr-congo-8-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-helicopter-crash |access-date=2022-03-31 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-29 |title=Six Pakistan Army officers, soldiers martyred in UN copter crash |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/2350160/six-pakistani-officers-soldiers-among-un-peacekeepers-martyred-in-copter-crash |access-date=2022-03-31 |website=The Express Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Naveed |date=2022-03-29 |title=Six Pakistani officers, soldiers martyred in helicopter crash in Congo: ISPR |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1682422 |access-date=2022-03-31 |website=Dawn |location=Pakistan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=2022-03-29 |title=Eight UN peacekeepers killed in helicopter crash in DRC |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/29/eight-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-helicopter-crash-in-drc |access-date=2022-03-31 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

==Specifications (SA 330H Puma)==
[[File:Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma Drawing.svg|right|400px|Orthographically projected diagram of the SA330 Puma Line Drawing]]
{{aircraft specifications/switch
<!-- if you do not understand how to use this template, please ask at [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Aircraft]] -->

<!-- please answer the following questions -->
|plane or copter?=copter
|jet or prop?=prop
|ref=Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77<ref name="Janes 76 p41-2">Taylor 1976, pp. 41–42.</ref>
<!-- Now, fill out the specs. Please include units where appropriate (main comes first, alt in parentheses). If an item doesn't apply, like capacity, leave it blank. For additional lines, end your alt units with a right parenthesis ")" and start a new, fully-formatted line with beginning with an asterisk "*" -->
|crew=3
|capacity=16 passengers
|length main=59 ft 6½ in
|length alt=18.15 m
|span main=49 ft 2½ in
|span alt=15.00 m
|height main=16 ft 10½ in
|height alt=5.14 m
|area main= 1,905 ft<sup>2</sup>
|area alt= 177.0 m<sup>2</sup>
|empty weight main=7,795 lb
|empty weight alt=3,536 kg
|loaded weight main=<!-- lb -->
|loaded weight alt=<!-- kg -->
|max takeoff weight main=15,430 lb
|max takeoff weight alt=7,000 kg
|engine (prop)=[[Turbomeca Turmo|Turbomeca Turmo IVC]] 
|type of prop=[[turboshaft]]s
|number of props=2
|power main=1,575 hp
|power alt=1,175 kW
|max speed main=138 knots, 159 mph
|max speed alt=257 km/h
|cruise speed main=134 knots, 154 mph
|cruise speed alt=248 km/h
|cruise speed more=econ cruise
|never exceed speed main=147 knots, 169 mph 
|never exceed speed alt=273 km/h
|range main=313 nm, 360 mi
|range alt=580 km
|ceiling main=15,750 ft
|ceiling alt=4,800 m
|climb rate main=1,400 ft/min
|climb rate alt=7.1 m/s
|power/mass main=<!-- hp/lb -->
|power/mass alt=<!-- W/kg -->
|loading main=<!-- lb/ft<sup>2</sup>-->
|loading alt=<!-- kg/m<sup>2</sup>-->
|armament=
* '''Guns:'''
** Coaxial 7.62 mm (0.30 in) [[machine gun]]s
** Side-firing [[20 mm caliber|20 mm]] (0.787 in) [[autocannon|cannon]]
** Various others
}}

==Notable appearances in media==
<!-- All content about the aircraft in fictional and gaming use has been moved to [[Aircraft in fiction, please see [[WP:AIRPOP]] -->
{{Main|Aircraft in fiction#Aérospatiale Puma|l1=Aérospatiale Puma in fiction}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation|France}}
{{aircontent
|related=
*[[Atlas Oryx]]
*[[Denel Rooivalk]]
*[[Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma]]
*[[Eurocopter AS532 Cougar]]
*[[Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma|Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma Mk II+]]
*[[Eurocopter EC725|Eurocopter EC725 Super Cougar]]
*[[IAR 330]]
|similar aircraft=
*[[Mil Mi-8]]
*[[NHIndustries NH90|NH 90]]
|lists=
*[[List of rotorcraft]]
|see also=
}}

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Andrade, John. ''Militair 1982''. London: Aviation Press Limited, 1982. {{ISBN|0 907898 01 7}}.
* Ashworth, Chris. ''Encyclopedia of Modern Royal Air Force Squadrons''. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. {{ISBN|1-85260-013-6}}.
* Dean, David J. ''The Air Force role in low-intensity conflict''. Air University Press, 1986. {{ISBN|1-42892-827-8}}.
* [[Edgar O'Ballance]], ''Civil War in Lebanon, 1975–92'', Palgrave Macmillan, London 1998. {{ISBN|0-333-72975-7}}
* Frawley, Gerard. ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft''. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 1997 {{ISBN|1-875671-26-9}}
* Green, William. ''The illustrated encyclopedia of the world's commercial aircraft''. Crescent Books, 1978. {{ISBN|0-51726-287-8}}.
* Healey, Andrew. ''Leading from the front: Bristow Helicopters, the first 50 years''. Tempus, 2003. {{ISBN|0-75242-697-4}}.
* Jackson, Paul A. ''French Military Aviation''. Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, England :Midland County Publications, 1979. {{ISBN|0 904597 18 0}}
* James, Derek N. ''Westland Aircraft since 1915''. London: Putnam, 1991. {{ISBN|0-85177-847-X}}.
* Jefford, C G. ''RAF Squadrons'', first edition 1988, Airlife Publishing, UK, {{ISBN|1 85310 053 6}}.
* Keucher, Ernest. R. ''Military assistance and foreign policy''. Air Force Institute of Technology, 1989. {{ISBN|0-91617-101-9}}. 
* Kraak, Jan. "Desert Puma". ''[[Air International]]'', December 2016, Vol. 91, No. 6. pp.&nbsp;88–95. {{ISSN|0306-5634}}.
* Lake, Jon. "Variant File: Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma". ''International Air Power Review'', Volume 2 Autumn/Fall 2001. Norwalk, CT, USA: AIRtime Publishing. {{ISBN|1-880588-34-X}}. ISSN 1473-9917. pp.&nbsp;96–107.
* Leishman, J. Gordon. ''Principles of Helicopter Aerodynamics''. Cambridge University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-52185-860-7}}.
* McGowen, Stanley S. ''Helicopters: An Illustrated History Of Their Impact''. ABC-CLIO, 2005. {{ISBN|1-85109-468-7}}.
* Neal, Molly. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1970/1970%20-%200882.html "SNIAS-Westland SA.330 Puma."] ''Flight International'', 14 May 1970. pp.&nbsp;810–817.
* Micheletti, Éric and Debay, Yves. ''Victoire a Souk El-Gharb – la 10e Brigade sauve le Liban'' in ''Liban – dix jours aux Coeur des combats'', RAIDS magazine n.º41, October 1989. ISSN 0769-4814. pp.&nbsp;18–24.
* Penney, Stuart. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2002/2002%20-%203461.html "World Air Forces 2002"]. ''Flight International'', Vol. 162, No. 4859, 26 November – 2 December 2002. pp.&nbsp;33–78.
* Rip, Michael Russel and James M. Hasik. ''The Precision Revolution: GPS and the Future of Aerial Warfare''. Naval Institute Press, 2002. {{ISBN|1-55750-973-5}}.
* Ripley, Tim. ''Conflict in the Balkans 1991–2000''. Osprey Publishing, 2010. {{ISBN|1-84176-290-3}}.
* Ryan, Mike. ''The Operators: Inside the World's Special Forces''. HarperCollins, 2005. {{ISBN|0-00719-937-6}}.
* Smith, Gordon. ''Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982''. Naval-History.net, 2006. {{ISBN|1-84753-950-5}}.
*Ray Sturtivant, ''RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912'', Air-Britain (Historians), England, 2007, {{ISBN|0 85130 365 X}}
* Taylor, John W. R., ed. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976–77''. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976. {{ISBN|0-354-00538-3}}.
* Taylor, John W. R., ed. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1988. {{ISBN|0-7106-0867-5}}.
* Titley. Brian. ''Dark Age: The Political Odyssey of Emperor Bokassa''. McGill-Queen's Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-77357-046-2}}.
* Krimpen, Van and C. Bosgra. ''Portugal and NATO''. Angola Comite, 1972.
* Wheeler, Barry. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%201646.html "World Air Forces 1975"]. ''Flight International'', Vol. 108, No. 3468, 28 August 1975. pp.&nbsp;290–314.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=Aerospatiale%20SA-330%20Puma SA 330 Puma images on Airliners.net]
* [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xr54rc_aerospatiale-sa330-j-puma-helicopter-display_tech Video of Aerospatiale SA330-J Puma display]

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