IAR-330 Puma SOCAT antitank gunship
Puma SOCAT
• Nexter THL-20 20mm chain gun (chin mounted) with 750 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)
Well, the NAF are refurbishing and upgrading their fleet of Aerospatiale(now Eurocopter) SA330 Puma helicopters at the Eurocopter plant in Romania. Two units were delivered to the NAF in March 2012 and a further two units are currently undergoing upgrades in Romania.
I was wondering if anyone realises the full options available to us along that line, with the regular-sized Puma in mind. The NAF operate a mix of regular-sized 16-seater SA330 Puma and stretch-variant 24-seater AS332 Super Puma helicopters.
Beegeagle's Blog 
Nah, I don’t think we need heavily armed Pumas. The Mi-24s/35s can take care of that easily. What we need are upgraded utility helicopters equipped with the modern EFIS and other avionics needed for night Ops and possible nap-of-the-earth flying.
My opinion though.
No better time to give meaning to the word “UTILITY”. The versatility of a utility helicopter should come in at a time like this when the military are massively multi-tasking. We should make every helicopter COUNT.
Mind you, all our Agusta A109 LUH, Puma and Super Puma are dedicated military variants. So why not configure them to be able to handle MEDEVAC, SAR, transport and close air support? It is never going to be an attack helicopter in the mould of Mi-24V/Mi-35P but assuming that the NAF’s new Quick Reaction Force are undertaking MEDEVAC or providing emergency relief and someone opens fire from the ground with a DShK 12.7mm HMG, should they not be able to respond directly without having to call for support from Mi-24V/Mi-35P crews? Seriously? I am not even interested in anti-tank missions. That 20mm cannon with which to return ground fire and 57mm rockets with which to knock out vehicles driven by fleeing insurgents are just okay for me. In my strange book, we need to derive MAXIMUM utility from all our utility choppers.
Hey, that cup-like FLIR device in the nose of the airframe also makes this Puma SOCAT night attack-capable, buddy. Sure you have seen a similar device on the Harbin Z-9WA ‘night fighter’ armed helicopter.
Very good points friends. All are choppers should have Forward Lookin Infra Red and they should be able to bring heavy munition to bear on terrorist at all times . They should also be big so as to deploy at least 20 troops at a go and evacuate arrested terrorists, rescued hostages and KIA or WIAs.