Aiming higher
Puma battalion
The Bataillon d’Hélicoptères de Manoeuvre
et d’Assaut (BHMA, Manoeuvre and Assault
Helicopter Battalion), the 3e RHC’s Puma
operator, has three squadrons: Escadrilles
d’Hélicoptères de Manoeuvre (EHM) 1 and 2,
which are responsible for flying operations, plus
an Escadrille de Maintenance Hélicoptères de
Manoeuvre (EMHM) for sustainment and repairs.
Altogether, the battalion includes some
230 personnel, more than 100 of them
mechanics. There are 24 operational SA330
crews, half of whom are normally found
outside France and its European regions.
At the time of AFM’s visit the inventory
comprised 22 Pumas, but maintenance
and other factors meant that seven were
available each day, on average.
The type is now 40-plus years old, and the
3e RHC will be the final ALAT regiment to
retire this combat-proven helicopter. The
first NH90 Caïman will arrive at the base in
2021, but replacement of Étain’s Pumas is
not expected to be completed until 2025.
A year before Caïman deliveries start, work
will begin to provide the new infrastructure
and buildings required to operate the type.
In future, operational and maintenance
units will be under one roof and a new
simulation centre is also planned.
Meanwhile flying and maintenance
squadrons are located on the same airfield
but around 1.2 miles (2km) apart.
Training of pilots and mechanics on the
NH90 will begin at Le Luc, southern France,
in the next two years. Lt Col AZ commented:
“For us it will be a major upheaval because
we will have to fly the Puma, continue
our operations in Africa and at the same
time the NH90 will be arriving at Étain.
“We’ll have all the related challenges of human
resources, such as pilots and mechanics.
This will be something of a revolution for us.
The coming years will not be very easy, but
it will be a great experience as we master
operating two types at the same time.”Aiming higherAiming higher
http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #363 JUNE 2018 // 73Base commander
Gazelle pilot Colonel Eric
Meunier joined the ALAT
in 1994 and has more
than 2,000 flight
hours under his belt,
including operational
missions in Kosovo,
Bosnia and Djibouti.
The colonel served
with the 6e RHC between
1997 and 2007 when he was
a patrol leader on a Gazelle unit based at Margny-
lès-Compiègne. After a period at the war college he
joined the general staff of the armed forces in 2009.
He became commander of Étain’s Gazelle
battalion in 2012, which took him to Africa on
various operational assignments as well as
Opération Atalante (Operation Atalanta), the EU
anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa.
In 2014 he left the regiment and was appointed
a programme officer for the Hélicoptère
Interarmées Léger (HIL, Joint Light Helicopter)
in Paris. Col Meunier then returned to Étain
as base commander in June last year.SA342Ma serial 3476 (c/n 1476) ‘GAB’ undergoes
fi nal checks before take-off from Base Lieutenant
Étienne Mantoux. The SA342Ma is employed for
crew training and as an airborne sniper platform.Gazelle serial 3664 (c/n 3664) ‘GAF’ is an example
of the SA342M1 with the Viviane targeting system
and up to four HOT air-to-ground missiles on
stub-wing hardpoints. In this confi guration,
typical mission endurance is 1.5 hours.