French air force has 8 CSAR (RESCO) Puma (squadron EH 01/67 Pyrénées).
A CSAR operation is performed by 2 Puma. An aircrew is composed with 2 pilots, a flight enginer, a loadmaster-gunner, a diver-rescueman and 3 commando soldiers.
The RESCO Puma is fitted with FLIR, RWR, flares and chaffs launchers, Personnal locating System, supplementary armour and fuel tanks. the aircrew fly with NVG.
3 puma were in QRA with american helicopters in Brindisi, Italy from 1994 to 1997.
On April 1994, a RESCO puma picked up a Sea Harrier pilot who
was shot down over Bosnia. The pilot (Nick Richardson) said in his book (No escape zone):
“I thought the UK had some good special forces pilots, but the way the french Puma team plucked us out of the danger zone was a testament to their bravery and professionalism. The flight from Gorazde to Sarajevo, conducted at impossibly low altitude, had been exciting, though danger-free – or so I thought.
While we waited for the helicopter ride to Split, the SAS and I were shown the Puma by its crew. To our surprise, the tail boom and fuselage had been peppered with small-arms fire we’d not even noticed – possibly owing to all the celebrating that had been going on inside the cabin at the time. We were lucky, the french pilot told us, as he sucked casually on a Gauloise, not have been shot down.”
In 1999, during operation Allied Force, 2 Puma were in QRA in Skopje, in Macedonia.
More recently, this summer, 2 Puma were in QRA in Entebbe , Uganda for operation Artemis – Mamba.
This year, 4 RESCO Cougar have been delivered to replace some ageing Puma.
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