The Bolivian Air Force (FAB) has selected the latest high-power version of the Super Puma from Eurocopter — recently renamed Airbus Helicopters — to reinforce its rotary wing fleet. The contract for six AS332C1e includes a logistics package that will support fleet sustainability in the coming years. The first two helicopters will be delivered this year and the remaining four before 2016.
The signing of the contract underscores the pledge Bolivian President Evo Morales made at a meeting with his French counterpart Francois Hollande in New York last September, while allowing the FAB to renew and strengthen its fleet with modern highly reliable transport helicopters. The contract also includes a logistical support package that aims to provide the FAB with the resources and know-how it needs to ensure high fleet availability.
“We are very proud to provide our air force with latest-generation multi-role aircraft that will enable us to successfully carry out our ongoing missions and face the challenges of the future,” said General Victor Hugo Meneses Gomez, commander of the Bolivian Air Force. The helicopters will mainly be used to combat drug trafficking and will also carry out public-security and disaster-relief missions throughout the country. General Meneses added: “Bearing in mind the extreme operating conditions in Bolivia, the Super Puma was chosen mainly because of its versatility, safety and, above all else, its ability to operate at high altitude.”
“We would like to thank the Bolivian Air Force for renewing their confidence in our helicopters,” said Mesrob Karalekian, Airbus Helicopters’ Vice-President of Sales and Customer Relations for Latin America. “The Super Puma is a powerful multi-role helicopter that is perfectly suited to the demands of operating in the region and which, thanks to its state-of-the-art onboard technology, allows missions to achieve more, all in complete safety.”
The relationship between Airbus Helicopters and the Bolivian Air Force began several decades ago with the Lama and the Alouette. The FAB now operates the Ecureuil AS350 B3 and, as of last year, two EC145s, which are used for governmental transport and missions in support of the population. With this latest purchase, the FAB will benefit from a technology transfer programme which includes the training of more than 80 technicians and pilots in France and Bolivia. It will also be supplied with special tools for setting up a maintenance center, where intermediate inspections (every 500 hours) will be carried out, and two operational bases for smaller inspections (every 100 hours), the objective being for the FAB to acquire strategic autonomy.
The Super Puma family is particularly well-suited to operations in Latin America, where more than 100 helicopters are in service and more than 60 are on order. Its ability to operate at high altitude (up to a certified service ceiling of 7,620 metres), in the jungle, and at extreme temperatures (ranging from -45°C to 50°C) allows it to meet the region’s unique challenges, especially in the mountains and plateaus of the Andes, where altitude and temperature often prove challenging.
