Aviation / Aerospace

Airbus Helicopters H225/H215 (Super Puma)

Medium- / Heavy-Lift Transport Helicopter [ 2004 ]

Delays occurring in 2012 have, in turn, delayed important certification for the Eurocopter EC225 line.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 12/01/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image copyright Eurocopter marketing material; All Rights Reserved.

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Eurocopter - now Airbus Helicopters (France) - developed its EC225 "Super Puma" for the passenger transport role particularly to service the oil and gas industry where long range hauling of company personnel was key. First flight was recorded on November 27th, 2000 with introduction in December of 2004. The EC225 is a derivative of the Eurocopter AS332 "Super Puma" product of 1978 while the EC725 "Super Cougar" is a related development of the EC225 line and serves in the tactical transport role.

At its core, the Super Puma retains the basic form and function of its predecessors. It features a twin engine design, the powerplants installed over the cabin roof, which drive a five-bladed main rotor and a four-bladed tail rotor (set to starboard). The cockpit area is well glazed for optimal viewing and rounded rectangular windows are set along the fuselage sides. Pilots are afforded hinged automobile-style access doors while the passenger cabin is served by sliding doors. The tail unit is raised for good ground clearance. The wheeled undercarriage is retractable. Internally, the cabin seats up to 24 passengers in addition to the standard operating crew of two with the optional cabin attendant added. The passenger seating arrangement is customizable to the needs of the purchasing customer.

While primarily geared in sales towards the oil and gas industry, the helicopter is also billed for service in the VIP passenger transport sector as well as police and humanitarian work. Developmental setbacks have delayed large-scale entry of the Super Puma with several rather high profile ditches (some with fatalities) in the span of a few short years.

Variants in the Super Puma line now include the EC225 LP (an improved form based on the AS332 L2), the EC225 FF/SAR (Firefighting/Search And Rescue platform), and the EC225e (a modernized model with Turbomeca "Makila" 2B series turboshaft engines). The EC225 "Super Puma Mk II+" is marketed as the next generation product of the Super Puma family.

EC225 Super Puma operators include Algeria, Argentina, Canada, China, France, Greenland, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Taiwan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

August 2016 - It was announced that the Gulf state of Kuwait has ordered 30 H225M series helicopters.

November 2016 - Singapore has committed to the H225M (as well as the Boeing CH-47F) to succeed its aging stock of AS332M "Super Puma" and Boeing CH-47D "Chinook" helicopters. Devlieries are scheduled for 2020.

November 2016 - The Brazilian Navy has announced plans to commit to five H225M helicopters. These will feature a locally-developed capability to fire the French Exocet anti-ship missile.

September 2017 - The final two of six Airbus Helicopters H225M platforms have been delivered to the Indonesian Air Force. This stems from an order dating back to 2012. The fleet was built in France and saw final work completed at Indonesian Aerospace before final delivery. They are intended for the armed Search-and-Rescue (SAR) role.

May 2018 - Ukraine has inked a deal for a batch of H225 helicopters from Airbus.

September 2018 - The Royal Thai Air Force has ordered four H225M series helicopters. A total of twelve are expected for the service by the early part of the next decade. These will be outfitted with combat Search-and-Rescue (SAR) equipment.

November 2018 - Airbus Helicopters has completed the September 2018 Royal Thai Air Force order of H225M "Caracal" helicopters with the final two being delivered.

January 2019 - The Indonesian Defense Ministry has contracted for eight Airbus Helicopters H225M and nine Bell Model 412EPI helicopters to be acquired through Indonesian Aerospace. The deal includes support, training, logistics, and an H225M simulator as well as weapons and ammunition for the Model 412EPI.

March 2019 - Serbian interior ministry has placed an order for three H215 heavy-lifters.

August 2020 - An Airbus Helicopters H225M has completed a first 'wet' contact with an A400M aerial refueling tanker aircraft.

March 2021 - Singapore has received its initial H225M helicopter in a deal established back in 2016. These will be used to succeed an aging fleet of AS.332MF Super Puma types in service undertaking the SAR and MEDEVAC roles.

December - 2021 - Brazil has taken delivery of a navalized version of the H225M.

Specifications

Service Year

2004

Origin

France

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

3

Production

175
UNITS

Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter Group) - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Algeria; Argentina; Australia; Belgium; Botswana; Brazil; Bulgaria; Canada; China; Denmark (ordered); France; Japan; Malaysia; Mexico (ordered); Norway; Oman; Serbia (ordered); Singapore; Spain; Taiwan; Thailand; United Kingdom; Ukraine (ordered); Vietnam; Uzbekistan

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: Search & Rescue (SAR)
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

✓ VIP Service
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.

Length

64.0 ft
(19.50 m)

Width/Span

53.1 ft
(16.20 m)

Height

16.3 ft
(4.97 m)

Empty Wgt

11,596 lb
(5,260 kg)

MTOW

24,692 lb
(11,200 kg)

Wgt Diff

+13,095 lb
(+5,940 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Eurocopter EC225 production variant)

Installed: 2 x Turbomeca Makila 2A1 turboshaft engines developing 2,382 horsepower each while driving a five-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor.

Max Speed

171 mph
(276 kph | 149 kts)

Ceiling

19,357 ft
(5,900 m | 4 mi)

Range

534 mi
(860 km | 1,593 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

1,710 ft/min
(521 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Eurocopter EC225 production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

H225 - Base Series Designation under Airbus Helicopters brand label.

EC225 - Base Series Designation under Eurocopter brand label.

EC225 LP - Improved AS332 L2 "Super Puma" which the EC225 succeeded for Eurocopter.

EC225 SAR - Specialized Search and Rescue platform with firefighting duties possible; FLIR; radar.

EC225 Super Puma Mk II+

H225 - Airbus production designation.

H225M - Rebranded EC725 civilian market model.

H215 - Redesignation of AS332 Super Puma.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

68

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 200mph

Lo: 100mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (171mph).

Graph average of 150 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Eurocopter EC225 operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (175)

175

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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