Румынский военно-транспортный вертолет IAR 330

Romanian military transport helicopter

The IAR 330 is a licence built version of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopter, manufactured by the Romanian aerospace manufacturer Industria Aeronautică Română. The IAR 330 was produced under a licensing agreement with the French aerospace firm Aérospatiale, signed on 30 July 1974. On 22 October 1975, the first Romanian built Puma conducted its maiden flight. Deliveries to customers begun shortly thereafter; by 1980, around 25 IAR 330s had been produced for both domestic and overseas customers. Various oversea countries opted to procure the IAR 330, including Pakistan, Ivory Coast, United Arab Emirates, and Sudan. The largest operator of the type would be the Romanian Air Force, who initially used it primarily as a utility transport. During the 1990s, there was a desire for a rotary anti tank capability, as well as to integrate Romania's defense equipment with NATO. Accordingly, during the 2000s, IAR collaborated with the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems to produce twenty four IAR 330 SOCAT helicopters, which was designed for anti tank and battlefield support operations. A modernized utility transport model equipped NATO compatible avionics derived from the SOCAT, referred to as the IAR 330M, was also produced around this time. A navalised model, capable of search and rescue, medevac, and maritime surveillance, was also developed. The final IAR 330 was produced in 2008; the programme has effectively been replaced by the Airbus Helicopters H215 Super Puma, the production of which was transferred to Brașov under Eurocopter Romania, a joint venture between Airbus Helicopters and IAR.

Throughout most of the Cold War, Romania was a member of both COMECON and the Warsaw Pact. Despite this, Ceaușescu government sought to avoid becoming overly depend on support from the Soviet Union and maintain independence. Accordingly, it was desirable for military equipment to be developed entirely or partially in Romania to bolster the nation's self reliance, while partnerships with third party countries were also sought for the supply of large ticket items. During the early 1970s, multiple companies, including the French aerospace firm Aérospatiale and the American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft, were invited to demonstrate their helicopters to the Romanian government, which held the intention of acquiring a license to produce their preferred rotorcraft. Accordingly, on 11 October 1973, the Sikorsky S 61 was formally pitched to a group of Romanian representatives, which included a test flight performed at Băneasa Airport. Between 13 and 15 October of that same month, a presentation at the Romanian aerospace manufacturer Întreprinderea de Construcții Aeronautice's (IAR) facility at Ghimbav. By 2010, around 163 of these helicopters have reportedly been built, 104 of which were delivered to the air wings of the Romanian military, while two were retained by the manufacturer and a further 57 were produced for various export operators. Furthermore, specialised variants of the helicopter were developed for roles such as naval warfare, search and rescue (SAR), command & control, and medevac operations, typically being produced in limited numbers. The SAR model was outfitted with inflatable floats for emergency landing at sea. Production of the IAR 330 continued into the 21st century, performed by the Industria Aeronautică Română (presently known as IAR S. A. Brașov) at their plant outside Brașov. In 2008, the final Romanian built helicopter was reportedly manufactured, the company was privatised that same year. In November 2015, Airbus Helicopters announced that all final assembly of the Airbus Helicopters H215 Super Puma, the successor to the original Puma, would be transferred to a final assembly line in Brașov under Eurocopter Romania, a joint venture between Airbus Helicopters and IAR; as such, this initiative effectively took the place of the IAR 330 programme.

During the 1990s, the Romanian Air Force sought to enhance the combat capabilities of its IAR 330L fleet to make it into a universal anti tank and support helicopter. By this time, Romania started to cooperate with Israel on several different military programs. The Israeli company Elbit Systems was chosen and, in September 1995, the Romanian Air Force signed a contract with the company to upgrade 24 helicopters with the SOCAT system (Sistem Optronic de Cercetare și Anti Tanc). On 26 May 1998, the first IAR 330L SOCAT was flown from IAR's airfield in Ghimbav, near Brașov. On 23 October 1999, the second prototype made its first flight. During 2001, the first IAR 330L SOCAT was delivered to a combat unit. In all, 25 SOCATs were produced, including the prototypes, which were rebuilt to production standard in 2005. The IAR 330M NATO is a modernized transport version with the SOCAT version's avionics, but without either the weapons and optronic systems. Among other features, it has a weather radar. Between 2005 and 2008, twelve IAR 330Ls were modernized to the IAR 330M standard. On 30 January 2007, the first IAR 330 NAVAL helicopter was officially unveiled at Ghimbav. The Romanian Naval Forces ordered three of this variant. The helicopter is in a similar configuration to the Romanian Air Force variant, including the SOCAT upgrade package; however, the Navy rotorcraft are equipped with flotation gear housed underneath the nose and main undercarriage fairings. Much of the mission specific avionics are supplied by the French defense company Thales Group. They are typically operated from the Navy's frigates and undertake missions such as search and rescue, medevac, and maritime surveillance missions.

IAR 330H – initial model (1975–1977). 15 built. IAR 330L – improved model (1977–present). Out of the 165 built, 112 went into service with the Romanian armed forces. IAR 330 SM – equipped with Turbomeca Makila 1A1 engines (export configuration for the United Arab Emirates).

On 23 December 1989, an IAR 330 crash landed after having been presumably shot at during a transport flight near Alba Iulia, killing the crew of three and two passengers. On 16 August 2001, an IAR 330 SOCAT crashed during a training flight shortly after take off from Titu Air Base. The crash occurred at an altitude of 50 metres (165 ft.), wounding the crew. On 7 March 2013, an IAR 330 SOCAT crashed in Berești Bistrița, near Bacău, during a training flight, killing two crew members and wounding three other crew members. The Romanian Air Force and Navy grounded the entire IAR 330 SOCAT fleet pending an investigation into the crash. On 21 November 2014, an IAR 330 MEDEVAC crashed in Mălâncrav, near Sibiu, during a training flight, killing eight military personnel and injuring two others. On 22 March 2022, an IAR 330 crashed near the village of Gura Dobrogei, Cogealac Commune, amid adverse weather conditions while searching for a crashed MiG 21 Lancer in the area, killing seven military personnel.