14th of May, 2003. The President of the East African state of Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire) is in Brasov, sitting comfortably in his leather chair equipping his brand-new VIP version IAR-330 Puma helicopter.
The IAR Ghimbav SA factory near Brasov, producer of IAR-330 and IAR-316 helicopters, IS-28, IS-29 and IAR-35 ACRO gliders, and other aviation products, has a long history of producing helicopters for export.
In total, over 400 helicopters have been produced here in the past 30 years or so, half of them for export.
The Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire) ordered one IAR-330 Puma helicopter in VIP configuration, one for government use and two more for the Air Force of that country.
The VIP version has 10 leather armchairs, an armoured safe, a bar, air conditioning and ecological installations. "The performances of the helicopter are similar with the ones of a standard IAR-330 Puma", stated pilot Puiu Randetean, a test pilot at IAR.
Besides the leather armchairs and furnitures, the air conditioning and all other installations, the helicopter is fitted with a modern integrated sight helmet, similar with the one installed on the IAR-330L Puma SOCAT attack helicopter, modern navigation displays, MFCD, intertial and GPS capabilities, as well as a digital-display moving map.
IAR-330 tail 156 was sold today, may the 14th, to the Ivory Coast, at an amazing price of only 3 million dollars (I thought a Puma is worth 6 million, while a day ago, somebody stated this VIP chopper costs 8 million).
Four months ago, 2 more Puma helicopters were sold for export by IAR.
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IAR-330 Puma
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©2003 Sorin A Crasmarelu
14th of May 2003
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