Page 84 - HeliOps Frontline Issue 26

84 HELIOPS FRONTLINE / ISSUE 26 / 2019

A Romanian Puma Naval
shows her teeth. Since
2015, the Puma Navals are
equipped to operate as an
anti-submarine warfare
weapons platform. For this
task the helicopters can be
equipped with torpedos on
either side of the hull.

a popular holiday resort. Once there were about twenty IAR330s of
the Romanian Air Force stationed at the base in the southwest of
the country. Nowadays, it is a combined airfield which houses the
Puma Navals, a civil aeroclub and Regional Air Services, a company
providing SAR, flights for the offshore industry and sea survival
training.
The helicopters of the Black Sea Knights are part of the
Helicopter Group 256 and are placed under the Frigate Flotilla 56.
The Helicopter Group was founded in the military port of Constanța
– the largest deep-water port in the Black Sea – on July 13, 2007.
At the time of the establishment of the Helicopter Group, the first
IAR-330 Puma Naval (140) had already been received. The second
Puma Naval (141) was received in December 2007. A year later, the
third and last helicopter (142) was commissioned. Mitric: ‘Our first
operations were flown from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, since
Tuzla was not prepared to receive the type. It took two years to get
our unit prepared and to adjust Tuzla Airports infrastructure and
hangar. In 2009, the squadron was housed at Tuzla’.

Future

The Romanian armed forces demand a lot from its strikingly
small and relatively dated helicopter fleet, certainly now that
tensions are rising in the region. In best theory, operating three
helicopters does mean one aircraft will be operational at all
times. Another would undergo maintenance and the third aircraft
would be available for training. Mitric agrees with the tightness
of his fleet. ‘At this moment, it is our priority to have at least one
helicopter ready to embark on a frigate at all times.’ Mitric agrees
that it is impossible to have all helicopters operational at all