Airbus Helicopters H225/H215 (Super Puma)

Medium- / Heavy-Lift Transport Helicopter

France | 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; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image copyright Eurocopter marketing material; All Rights Reserved.

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

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.

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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.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Eurocopter EC225 Medium- / Heavy-Lift Transport Helicopter.

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

171 mph
276 kph | 149 kts
Max Speed

19,357 ft
5,900 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

534 miles
860 km | 464 nm
Operational Range

1,710 ft/min
521 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Eurocopter EC225 Medium- / Heavy-Lift Transport Helicopter.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

64.0 ft
19.50 m
O/A Length

53.1 ft
(16.20 m)
O/A Width

16.3 ft
(4.97 m)
O/A Height

11,596 lb
(5,260 kg)
Empty Weight

24,692 lb
(11,200 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Airbus Helicopters H225/H215 (Super Puma) family line.

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.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Airbus Helicopters H225/H215 (Super Puma). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 175 Units
Contractor(s): Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter Group) - France

[ 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 ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 200mph

Lo: 100mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (171mph).

Graph Average of 150 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

175

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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Image of the Airbus Helicopters H225/H215 (Super Puma)

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

SEARCH & RESCUE

TRANSPORT

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

VIP SERVICE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Airbus Helicopters H225/H215 (Super Puma) Medium- / Heavy-Lift Transport Helicopter appears in the following collections:

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