Portugal handed over eight SA-330 Puma helicopters to Ukraine

This was reported by the press service of the Portuguese Ministry of Defence.

It is noted that the helicopters were put into storage back in 2012 and in 2014 were offered for sale in flight-ready condition.

The specialty of the Portuguese SA-330 Puma lies in their modern fire control systems, which allow the launching of Exocet anti-ship missiles.

Additionally, a nose-mounted ORB-31 radar station provides sea target identification search, navigation, and fire control, significantly enhancing effectiveness during maritime combat missions.

The SA-330 Puma helicopters were an essential part of Portuguese aviation from 1970 to 2009, actively involved in operations in North Africa during colonial wars. In recent years, they were used for transporting personnel and carrying out search and rescue operations.

In total, Portugal purchased 13 helicopters of this type, which were replaced in the 2010s by modern EH-101 Merlin helicopters of British-Italian production.