PARIS – During the Paris Air Show, held at Le Bourget airport, the Argentine Ministry of Defense and its French counterpart signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the probable acquisition of two Airbus H215 medium helicopters.
Hours earlier, Aviacionline spoke with Alberto Robles, head of Airbus Helicopters for Latin America, who confirmed the signing and commented that it would be «a great honor and a pleasure» for Airbus Helicopters to be able to supply the H215s.
«At the moment what there is is an intention. A letter of intent is being signed by the French and Argentine governments; it is a further step in their bilateral defense relationship. It is a continuity of the Puma’s presence in Argentina, which has been going on for 40 years. We are very expectant and it would be a great honor to see the evolution of the former Puma by the 215 to fly in the country.»
Asked about the advantages of unifying the medium helicopter fleet of the Argentine forces, Robles said that «the synergies of unifying the logistics and service chain are obvious, added to the army’s familiarity with the Puma. Despite the 40-year technological leap, the H215’s operating philosophy is the same. The price and cost of operation gives it distinct operational advantages over other helicopters and the interest shows. Hopefully [the deal] will come to fruition,» he added.
There are currently more than 100 Pumas / Super Pumas flying, mainly in Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia (in a very demanding operation), Chile and Argentina. The helicopter is proven and well known, and we are confident that the Argentine government will make the decision that best suits their needs,» he concluded.
H215, an old acquaintance and a newcomer
The Airbus Helicopters H215, formerly known as the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma, is a medium/heavy twin-engine four-blade helicopter. Initially developed by Aérospatiale, and subsequently manufactured by successor companies Eurocopter and Airbus Helicopters, the H215 is a modernized and repowered version of the original Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma. As of September 2019, 1,000 units had been built, and the H215 has found use in various sectors, including military and civil services.
Major users of the H215 include the French Air and Space Force, CHC Helicopter, Babcock Mission Critical Services Offshore and the Spanish Air and Space Force. The H215 also serves a number of countries around the world, with operators in Austria, Bolivia, China, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Japan, Romania, the United States and Serbia. The H215 performs efficiently in a variety of roles, from supporting offshore oil platforms and aerial firefighting operations to military service, where it is marketed under the H215M/AS532 Cougar designation.
Puma in Argentina
In 1978, the Argentine Army received nine SA 330L helicopters, five of which were sent to the Malvinas Islands during the war in 1982. With the designations AE-500 to 508, the last one was decommissioned in 1997.
The Prefectura Naval Argentina (argentina´s coast guard service), for its part, purchased in 1980 three SA 330Ls destined for search and rescue (SAR), maritime patrol and logistic service. They also had an outstanding participation during the Malvinas War, losing one unit due to British naval artillery fire.
