Introduced to the public in 2004, the Eurocopter Super Puma Mk II+ is one of the newer models of the Eurocopter line. The company hasn’t been around for a very long time. Eurocopter showed up on the scene in 1992. Today they’re one of the larger helicopter manufacturing companies dealing on a global level. They’re ranked number-one in the industry in revenues and turbine deliveries.

Eurocopter has headquarters in France, Spain and Germany, and also a number of subsidiaries in countries like the USA, Brazil and Australia. They have dozens of helicopter models on the market, plus many more in production. Although the company isn’t very large, employing only 15,600 people, their global reach is astonishing.

The Super Puma Mk II+ is one of the best ever produced by the Eurocopter Group. It’s a favorite among nearly all heli enthusiasts and turned heads at the Paris Air Show. The copter is a long-range passenger transport model, and is the next generation in the civilian Super Puma line. In terms of average helicopters, the Super Puma is absolutely huge.

The EC225 runs using a powerful twin-engine set up and can carry up to 27 people in total (24 passengers, 2 pilots and a single cabin attendant). It’s most easily comparable to a business jet in that the Super Puma is used by many for VIP passenger transport. However, it’s also popular as an offshore support copter and for public service.

Even though the Super Puma wasn’t available as a civilian vehicle until 2004, a lot of planning went into this design. The EC225 was first announced as a Eurocopter project way back in 1998. After years of development and finding the right components, the first prototype emerged in November of 2000 for its maiden flight. It wasn’t until 2004 that the Super Puma was certified.

After its safety certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency, the EC225 Super Puma II went on the market and immediately started selling around the world.

At first glance, nothing appears overly complicated about the set up of the Super Puma II. In actuality, the EC225 is just an improved version of the AS332L2 Super Puma. The improvements that were made include the five-blade rotor’s new airfoil shape. This helps the copter to reduce vibration levels. Other improvements include the two tubroshaft engines.

One of the biggest improvements of the Super Puma II is the anti-icing system. This allows the copter to operate at much higher altitudes and in much cooler climates. Rounding out the improvements are the reinforced main gearbox, and a full glass cockpit with Active Matrix LCDs.

For a helicopter of this size and strength, you can expect to pay a pretty penny to own it. The EC225 Super Puma II+ comes in at around $18 million. Compared to other luxury modes of airborne transport on the market, that isn’t a lot of money – but for a helicopter, it’s rather expensive.