Eurocopter has been awarded an Assessment Phase contract for the life extension programme for the Puma helicopters, which will include up to 35 of the helicopters getting new Turbomeca Makila engines, ‘glass’ cockpits, and new communications, navigation and defensive systems.

The new Pumas, which will be designated Puma HC Mk2, will not only have their life extended, but their performance and payload will also be significantly enhanced, particularly in hot and high conditions. The assessment phase, scheduled for the next 12 months, will consider the detailed technical, operational and cost implications of the upgrade. Successful completion will lead to a full development and manufacture contract for delivery of the main programme.

In a development reflecting the Defence Industrial Strategy’s emphasis on an improved business environment, Eurocopter and the MoD will manage the assessment phase in a joint project office, soon to open in Bristol.