The AS-532 Cougar is a medium-weight transport helicopter, developed by Eurocopter. Its origin can be traced back to the Anglo-French SA 330 Puma helicopter. This 1965 medium tactical support helicopter was mainly intended for the transportation of people and equipment directly into the combat zone.
Later, the Puma was upgraded by Eurocopter resulting in the AS-332 Super Puma. Beginning in 1990, Super Pumas were separated in their civilian and militarized forms by the latter taking on the production designation of AS 532 "Cougar" (civilian models still retained their AS 332 designations).

The Cougar family now consists of the AS 532MC Mk I (note the "Mk I" mark designation was retroactively applied to previous Super Puma forms) as a Search & Rescue (SAR) platform, the AS 532SC Mk I as a short-fuselage anti-submarine variant, the AS 532U2 Mk II as an unarmed base model, the AS 532A2 Mk II as another Search & Rescue form, the AS 532L2 Mk II featuring a lengthened fuselage for extra seating and extended main rotor blades, and the simplified AS 532 "Cougar 100" with fixed landing gear. However, some countries still use the SA 332 Super Puma designation (like Switzerland and France)

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Helicopter Force

Delivery to the Royal Netherlands Air Force

In October 1993, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu) signed a contract with Eurocopter for the purchase of seventeen Cougars of the AS-532 U2 Cougar Mk.2.

These were meant to be used as medium transport helicopter for the newly formed airmobile brigade of the Dutch army. The AS-532 Cougar helicopters are considerably lighter and smaller than the CH-47D Chinook also used in the transportation of the mobile brigade .

In 1996, ten AS-532 Cougar were delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force with the first arriving in May, the remaining seven in 1997. The AS-532 Cougar is equipped with a 'glass cockpit' as standard, consisting of 4 screens, among which traditional analogue instruments serve as back-up.

All AS-532 Cougar are equipped with a 'Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS)'. The HUMS increases flight safety by providing a better insight into the use and technical condition of the individual helicopter. The AS-532 Cougar can carry external load by a HUSLE (Helicopter Underslung Load Equipment) up to 4500 kg. It can also carry water for firefighting by using a so-called bambi bucket with a capacity of 2500 litres of water.

The AS-532 Cougar is mainly used to transport troops and cargo and for combat search and rescue missions and as an armoured helicopter .

In service

Operational history

The AS-532 Cougar were at first stationed with 300 Squadron at Soesterberg Air Base after their delivery in 1996 until this base closed at the end of 2008. With the establishment of the “Defence Helicopter Command" (DHC) the plan was that all helicopters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force would be stationed at Gilze Rijen from 2008 .

The intention was that in 2012 the AS-532 Cougar would go through an MLU program for new systems including a link 16 data system and TETRA system with an infrared vision system for the pilots. However, due to cutbacks, the Defence organization decided in April 2011 to dispose of all AS-532 Cougar, but for the time being some would go into storage and three would remain in service until the replacement NHI NH90 would arrive.

In the autumn of 2014 this decision was reversed and a number of AS-532 Cougar that where put in storage became operational again due to problems with the introduction of the NHI NH-90 which resulted in the decision to only order the marine variant of the NHI NH-90 and not the six army transport variant. The intention was to phase out the AS-532 Cougar completely in 2023, but that will not happen. The capacity is much needed and with a little extra budget it was decided at the end of 2017 that 12 AS-532 Cougar would remain in service until perhaps 2030.

On February 2018, Royal Netherlands Air Force signed contract with Heli-One for maintenance support of 12 operational AS-532 Cougar plus 5 in storage. One of these is reported as withdrawn from use after returning from a deployment to the Dutch Antilles. .
 

Deployments .

The AS-532 Cougar have been deployed on all sorts of missions such as in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. A detachment was deployed at the end of 2000 at Split in Kosovo. In Bosnia the Dutch cougars have often flown medical missions to support foreign soldiers which were wounded.

In September 2009, some AS-532 Cougar were deployed to Kandahar in Afghanistan for six months. In August 2012, some AS-532 Cougar were flying aboard the Hr.Ms Rotterdam during anti-pirate operation Ocean Shield. Over the years, the AS-532 Cougar is repeatedly used during missions. The AS-532 Cougar took part in 2001 and 2002 to the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia. In 2004, the AS-532 Cougar took Iraq to the tasks of the CH-47D Chinook detachment about. The AS-532 Cougar transported personnel and equipment and were 24-hour standby for medical evacuation of Dutch soldiers.

In addition, an AS-532 Cougar helped during the first free elections in Iraq with the transportation of the ballots. During NATO's ISAF operation in Afghanistan to support the AS-532 Cougar from April 2006 until mid-2010, the Dutch Task Force Uruzgan.

AS-532 Cougars are used as board helicopter during several anti-piracy missions off the Somali coast (2012 and 2013). From naval vessels as the Hr. Ms Rotterdam they argued among other recognition flights and transports they boarding teams of Marines and they even brought suspicious ships to stop. Until August 2015, the AS-532 Cougar is also used to transport patients from the islands.

 The AS-532 Cougar is like the CH-47D Chinook used for fire fighting. Both helicopters are equipped with so-called ‘bambi buckets‘. These are flexible water bags hung under the helicopter. The AS-532 Cougar flying bucket can be filled with 2,500 litres. They do this in the Netherlands, but sometimes beyond. In August 2005 two AS-532 Cougar were deployed to fight forest fires in Portugal and in Greece in August 2007 .

 

300 Squadron

300 squadron

As one of three reserve squadrons 300, 301 and 302 it is the only one to be formed (although 301 and 302 will be formed as AH-64 squadrons on a later date) at Ypenburg AB in 1962.
It starts operating in the Training role at first on the H-23 Raven but by august 1965 the transition has been made to the Alouette III. From this point the squadron also still operates the L-21B super cub and the DHC 2 Beaver.

A period that ends with the retirement of the last Super Cub in 1976 As Ypenburg AB loses its operational states the squadron moves to Deelen AB 1968 at that point it transfers it training task to 299 squadron a task it would gain again in 1975. At first pilots come from the Fort Rucker were they received there helicopter training and from 1989 pilots come from the course at Woensdrecht.

With the introduction of the Cougar helicopter to the squadron it moves again this time to Soesterberg AB. As the introduction of the Cougar progresses Alouette III are leaving the squadron, with the Alouette being very popular with the royal family it is decided that a flight of four will be kept in service for the transport of the royal family and other VIPs, the SE.3160 Alouette III were modified by RUAG in Alpnach, Switzerland, to the more powerful SA.316B and received a blue colour scheme.

During the creation of the Defensie Helikopter Commando (DHC) the squadron moved to Gilze Rijen AB where it is still based today. With the introduction of the Cougar helicopter the squadron resaved a new emblem with a Cougar in the same old blue circle.

In 2011 in a other round of defence cuts it was decided that 300 squadron would dissolve which came as a shock to the squadron, a decision that was reversed in the same year due to a shortage of available helicopters (late delivery of the NH90 and retirement of the AB-412) the squadron would stay operational until 2015 with a smaller amount of operational Cougar helicopters In the autumn of 2014 this decision was reversed and a number of AS-532 Cougar that where put in storage became operational again due to problems with the introduction of the NHI NH-90.

In the near future the As-532 Cougar will be part of the new task assigned to 300 Squadron; the Squadron will specialize in the coming years in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Air task. The C-LSK describes it as a 2-stage rocket: first start with the current organization and then expand into a specialized SOF Air squadron. How exactly must be clarified in the coming period, certainly because financial coverage still needs to be found for the expansion. In this form the squadron will stay operation until at least 2030.

Future

The intention was to phase out the AS-532 Cougar completely in 2023, but that will not happen. The capacity is much needed and with a little extra budget it was decided at the end of 2017 that 12 AS-532 Cougar would remain in service until perhaps 2030.

On February 2018, Royal Netherlands Air Force signed contract with Heli-One for maintenance support of the twelve operational AS-532 Cougar plus the five in storage.

In the near future the AS-532 Cougar will be part of the new task assigned to 300 Squadron; the Squadron will specialize in the coming years in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Air task. This will happen in a 2-stage process: first start with the current organization and then expand into a specialized SOF Air squadron. How exactly must be clarified in the coming years, certainly because financial coverage still needs to be found for the expansion.