SA330 Puma helicopter retired from French Army service

The SA330 Puma military helicopter has reached significant milestones in its service history and public presence in France. On July 23, 2026, the final SA330 Puma in service within a conventional combat helicopter regiment of the French Army was retired. The aircraft belonged to the 3rd Combat Helicopter Regiment (3eRHC), the last unit of the 4th Aero Combat Brigade to operate the type, at the Lieutenant Étienne Mantoux base in Étain-Rouvres.

Developed by Aérospatiale in the 1960s, the Puma was designed to meet needs identified following the Algerian War for a robust, twin-engine tactical transport helicopter. Originally conceived as the ‘Alouette IV’, it was produced under a Franco-British cooperation agreement with Westland Helicopters.

In a separate public event, an SA330 Puma was displayed in the Grand Noble park in Blagnac, near Toulouse, on September 17, 2026. The aircraft was positioned near the Odyssud hall as part of the ‘uni-forms’ security and prevention day, an event designed to facilitate exchanges between the public and professionals such as police, firefighters, and military personnel.