Airbus Helicopters delivered two upgraded AS532 Cougars to the French army, the company said on March 13.
Airbus was awarded a modernization program for 26 Cougars operated by the French army. The upgrade includes a new avionics suite and an automatic pilot similar to that of the H225M. The automatic pilot “brings a similar human machine interface between the two aircraft, a real operational advantage for the crew,” Airbus said in a statement.
Three Cougars were upgraded in 2013, five in 2014, and seven additional aircraft are set to be delivered in 2015.
The modernized Cougar helicopter participated in its first operational deployment in Mali in Operation Barkhane in April 2014.