---
title: "IAR 330 Puma SOCAT — OnlyPlanes"
description: "The IAR 330 Puma SOCAT is a Romanian armed Puma upgrade with new observation, avionics, and weapons systems."
canonical_url: "https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/military-helicopters/iar-330-puma-socat"
locale: en
meta:
  keywords: "aviation, aircraft, airlines, airports, flight"
  "og:description": "The IAR 330 Puma SOCAT is a Romanian armed Puma upgrade with new observation, avionics, and weapons systems."
  "og:image": "https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/iar-330-puma-socat.webp"
  "og:title": "IAR 330 Puma SOCAT — OnlyPlanes"
---

> Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://onlyplanes.ru/llms.txt)

Military helicopters / IAR 330

# IAR 330 Puma SOCAT

The IAR 330 Puma SOCAT is a Romanian armed Puma upgrade with new observation, avionics, and weapons systems.

![IAR 330 Puma SOCAT aircraft photograph](https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/iar-330-puma-socat.webp)

Development

## History

The IAR 330 Puma SOCAT is a Romanian version of the utility Puma helicopter modernized for armed missions. The original IAR 330 was built in Romania under a license based on the French SA 330. The SOCAT program came later and added a new observation, avionics, and weapons suite. A basic transport Puma and a Puma SOCAT should therefore not be described as identical aircraft.

The Romanian Air Force links the modernization to a need for stronger helicopter capability. New instruments help crews search for objects, assess circumstances, and use weapons. The work involved more than attaching rockets externally: sensors, information displays, and weapon controls had to be integrated with an existing airframe. Integration also calls for testing and training maintenance personnel.

According to the Romanian defense ministry, Puma SOCAT is regarded as an attack helicopter that can also be configured for medical evacuation. The word configured matters. A medical role does not mean every flight uses the same cabin layout and weapon fit. Changing missions changes equipment, weight, and the crew's work.

The IAR 330 family includes several modernization directions. IAR Brașov lists SOCAT, naval, transport, and other standards among its work. A common airframe helps technical support, but purposes and equipment vary. Range or payload comparisons must identify a particular version, since sensors and armament affect the fuel and cargo that can be carried.

Fire support requires dependable communication with ground units and correct target identification. A helicopter can work at low altitude, but crews then depend on terrain, visibility, and ground threats. Sensors improve awareness without removing tactical risk. Mission results reflect cooperation with other forces, training, and the working condition of the systems.

Puma SOCAT represents a distinct stage in Romanian aerospace development: a locally produced licensed helicopter received a national combat upgrade program. A catalogue should show the Puma family's origins while describing the specific SOCAT standard separately. That approach avoids confusing the long history of IAR 330 manufacture with equipment introduced by later modernization.

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website","@type":"WebSite","description":"News, stories and rare images from the world of aviation","inLanguage":"en-GB","name":"OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en","publisher":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"},"translationOfWork":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/military-helicopters/iar-330-puma-socat#webpage","@type":"WebPage","description":"The IAR 330 Puma SOCAT is a Romanian armed Puma upgrade with new observation, avionics, and weapons systems.","name":"IAR 330 Puma SOCAT | OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/military-helicopters/iar-330-puma-socat","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/military-helicopters/iar-330-puma-socat"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity","@type":"Organization","name":"OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en","logo":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo"},"sameAs":["https://t.me/legkoenebo"]},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/military-helicopters/iar-330-puma-socat#article","@type":"Article","description":"The IAR 330 Puma SOCAT is a Romanian armed Puma upgrade with new observation, avionics, and weapons systems.","headline":"IAR 330 Puma SOCAT","inLanguage":"en-GB","thumbnailUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/iar-330-puma-socat.webp","author":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"},"image":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#/schema/image/1"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/military-helicopters/iar-330-puma-socat#webpage"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/military-helicopters/iar-330-puma-socat#webpage"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"OnlyPlanes","contentUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/search-logo.png","inLanguage":"en-GB","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/search-logo.png"},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#/schema/image/1","@type":"ImageObject","contentUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/iar-330-puma-socat.webp","inLanguage":"en-GB","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/iar-330-puma-socat.webp"}]}
```

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://onlyplanes.ru/sitemap.md) for all pages.