IAR 330

Infobox Aircraft
name= IAR 330 Puma


caption= IAR 330 SOCAT
type= Utility/attack/naval helicopter
manufacturers= Industria Aeronautică Română
designer=
first flight= 26 May 1998 (SOCAT)
introduced= 1999 (SOCAT)
retired=
status= Operational
primary user= Romanian Air Force
more users= Romanian Navy
produced=
number built= 163+
unit cost=
variants with their own articles=

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). [ [http://www.roaf.ro/en/dotare/socat_en.php IAR-330 Puma SOCAT] ]

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. [ro icon "AeroNautic" magazine, June 2007 issue, p. 40.]

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.

Naval version

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. [ [http://www.zf.ro/articol_132511/primul_elicopter_iar_330_puma_naval_intra_maine_in_serviciul_fnr.html "First IAR 330 Puma Naval helicopter enters Romanian Naval Forces service"] , Ziarul Financiar, July 12 2007. Retrieved on July 20 2008.]

Variants

* IAR 330 :
* IAR 330L SOCAT :
* IAR 330 NAVAL :

Operators

;ECU;CIV;PAK;ROM
* Romanian Air Force
* Romanian Naval Forces;SUD;UAE

Notable incidents

*An IAR 330 SOCAT helicopter crashed on November 7, 2007, in Ungheni, 30km south of Piteşti, Argeş County, during a night training mission, killing all three crew members. [ [http://antena3.ro/Elicopter-prabusit-in-apropiere-de-Pitesti-Trei-oameni-au-murit_act_41497_ext.html "Helicopter crashed near Piteşti killing three people aboard"] , Antena 3, November 7, 2007.]

pecifications

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= copter
jet or prop?= prop
ref=
crew=three
capacity=
length main=15.0 m
length alt= 49 ft 2 in
span main= 16.2 m
span alt= 53 ft 1 in
height main= 4.6 m
height alt= 15 ft 1 in
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main= 3,615 kg
empty weight alt= 7,970 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main= 1,000 kg
useful load alt= 2,204lb
max takeoff weight main= 7,400 kg
max takeoff weight alt= 16,300 lb
more general=
engine (prop)= TURMO IV B
type of prop= turboshafts
number of props= 2
power main= 1,044 kW
power alt= 1,400 hp
power original=
max speed main= 263 km/h
max speed alt= 142 knots, 164 mph
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 550 km
range alt= 297 nm, 342 mi
ceiling main= 4,800 m
ceiling alt= 15,750 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
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)
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Aérospatiale Puma
similar aircraft=
* Eurocopter Cougar
* Eurocopter Super Puma
lists=
* List of helicopter models
see also=

References

External links

* [http://www.roaf.ro/en/index_en.htm Official homepage of the Romanian Air Force]